The Curious Case of Rachel Berry
by The Fearless Diva
Summary: Being the social pariah of William Mckinley shouldn't hurt her this bad. Finn hates her, New Directions hates her and Mr. Shue can't stand her. What did She ever do to deserve this? Through her journey, Rachel discovers that maybe things aren't that bad..
1. It's Just Rachel Against the World

**A/N: So I couldn't help it! I just had to write this since I'm really angry at the writers of Glee and Ryan Murphy himself. So help me through the hiatus, I've started this story! I hope you guys like it!**

**Summary: Set after the season 2 mid-season finale. Rachel Berry is once again alone as 2011 arrives and she goes back to school. Not being liked by all of the New Directions members has hit her hard. So what does she do? Well, you need to read to find out! :)**

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C**hapter 1: Its just Rachel against the World...

Wow, Winter break sure went by fast. The holiday festivities have come and gone and yet another year that Rachel Berry is alone. _No Friends, No Dads and certainly No Boyfriend!_ I guess 17 years of spending her birthdays alone shouldn't feel so bad. She shouldn't feel this hurt, that no one from New Directions_( minus Noah Puckerman)_ wished her a happy birthday. Nothing. No texts or calls. But what did she expect? They all made it perfectly clear how they felt about her during sectionals.

"_**Nobody tells you anything because A: you are a blabber mouth and B: We all just pretend to like you!"**_The voice of Santana as she said that still ringing in her ears.

The thing is, she tried to put everything behind her when the whole club was celebrating Christmas. She even told Noah to keep their mingling to a minimum, so as to not upset Finn anymore. Sure they talked on the phone and were on far better terms then before, but it did not stop her from missing that giant ex-boyfriend of hers.

_Even though she's Jewish, so she doesn't have to celebrate the holiday._

She tried to be a team player but not a single person from New Directions noticed that she was trying to change.

And Finn made her feel so much worse after breaking up with her "officially".

" _Oh, so the first time he was just pretending?" _She thinks to herself and lets out a bitter laugh.

It's kind of ironic that even after hearing what happened between herself and Finn, Kurt, surprisingly sided with her.

"_That stepbrother of mine is seriously demented!" He had told her when they had last talked on the phone._

Rachel confided in Kurt and told him what Santana had told her and he seemed shocked when she told him that like always she had done nothing.

"_Seriously! For someone so talented, you sure need to stick up for yourself more!" and she had smiled at his concern._

So only two people seemed to care about her and had been nice to her throughout the whole Santana Debacle. And if she was being honest with herself, she wouldn't have believe it and totally unexpected.

How was it that in her time of need, only Noah and Kurt had been there for her.

"_Oh Noah, he was actually nice when he wanted to be!" _She thought, and let a smile appear before it quickly disappeared. Almost like it had never been there and with that her sobbing returned.

"_Why did Finn had to go and have sex with that whore!" She thought angrily. _

If Finn and Santana had never slept together, then he would not have lied and I wouldn't have found out. Clearly, there wouldn't have been any reason to kiss Noah and get broken up by Finn. Even when she wasn't entirely at fault, she was still apologizing! But what does Finn do? He acts like a baby and ignores me and says he needs space. Okay then, he'll get his space but if he ever wants to be with me again, I doubt that will happen. Finn Hudson has damaged my heart too many times.

It seemed like an eternity until she stopped mentally ranting and managed to controlled herself. Apparently, it had been just in time since there was a soft knock on the door. She frantically wiped her tears away before opening the door.

"Oh my Gaga!" Kurt shrieked once he took in Rachel's appearance.

"_She has never looked like such a mess." _He thought sadly.

"Hey Kurt" She says and tries with all her might to force a smile on her face. Hoping that it doesn't look to fake.

"Nice try, but you can't fool me Rachel" the flamboyant boy says and with that her whole facade drops instantly.

"I feel like shit." She mutters as she goes back to lay in her bed. For the first time in all her life, she doesn't care how she looks. What good will it do for her? Obviously she can never be on the same level as two bitches known as Quinn and Santana. So why even bother.

"_Sure she's super hot..."_ Finn's voice reminds her why she can never feel beautiful. Finn Hudson doesn't love girls like me. The only ones that can satisfy him are cheerleaders. Rachel Berry was never good enough for him!

"I came to pick you up so we can hang out." Kurt say and snaps her out her depressing thoughts.

"I think I'll pass" She says but by the looks of it, he didn't leave any room to argue.

"_She is going whether she wants to or not" the self-proclaimed diva thinks to himself._

"No, you're coming and that's final because you need to get out." he states and glares at her.

" I don't want to Kurt and you can't make me!" She exclaims but this boy has other plans.

"Puck told me to call him if you didn't listen to me." He threatens.

"That traitor, since when does he care about me and my well-being?" She questions unsure.

"Simple, because he feels guilty that he came in between Finn and another of his girlfriends... again." the boy tells her and shrugs.

"Well, it's not his fault; it's my fault for kissing Noah in the first place, it has always been my fault. It's no surprise that Finn broke up with me because lets face it, I am a total bitch!" the short brunette says sadly to her friend.

" _Her only friend"_ She corrects herself.

"Listen to yourself! This is not healthy and that boy you love may be my step-brother but he needs to mature and maybe grow a pair!" Kurt rants angrily.

She is about to interrupt when he shakes his head.

"No, let me finish. Finn Hudson needs to see that he is at fault too. Believe me, while still not right, I understand why you cheated on him." He finishes in a much calmer voice.

"You done?" She asks.

"As a matter of fact, I am" He says happily.

"Thank you Kurt, I seriously needed to hear someone else say that, other then myself." the brunette says and hugs Kurt.

While it still surprises him, he doesn't push her back. He knows that right now she needs a friend. So as weird as it sounds he will be that friend for Rachel Berry.

"Come on, we need to go!" He says after a couple of seconds of hugging.

She quickly lets go and rushes to the bathroom to look more presentable.

"Why are we in such a hurry again?" She asks all the way from the bathroom.

"Well tomorrow you go back to school and I wanted you to start fresh for your 2nd semester." He answers and then she is out of the bathroom and out of the house, all dressed and looking better then he first saw her.

"Awww, really?" She asks and her eyes brighten up.

"Yup, so you and me are going to shopping at the mall!" He announces giddily.

"Thanks Kurt." She says and gives him a smile as she hops in Kurt's car.

"This will be fun Diva, I promise!" he says as he gets inside too.

"I hope so but please, I don't want another sad clown hooker make-over." She jokes lightly but half of her is afraid Kurt will pull something like that again.

"No worries, this time you will actually get a good make-over from the one and only Kurt Hummel!" He yells excited.

And that was that. Kurt started his car and both divas drove off to their destination: Lima's only Mall...

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**So should I continue? Please tell me and just to be clear: Kurt is at Dalton and all of the events up to A Very Glee Christmas did happened.(Any further questions, then send me a message)**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique ;)**

**I hope all you Gleeks Like it!**


	2. A New You and a Party to Celebrate it

**A/N: Than you all for reviewing! So by popular demand, here is Chapter two of The Curious Case of Rachel Berry.**

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****Chapter 2: A New You and a Party to Celebrate it**

"Kurt, what are we doing at _**this**_ store?" the diva ask her friend as they walked the aisles of the infamous Victoria's Secret Store.

" Well, to give you the best make-over we needed to start somewhere and you my friend, are in dire need of some sexy lingerie!" exclaimed a giddy Kurt.

Rachel blushed profusely, to the point of resembling a tomato. She had never shopped in this store! Only girls like Quinn and Santana came here since they are so much hotter then her. She's just the ugly duckling of New Directions... okay so she's being a bit pessimistic but her self-esteem is literally going down the drain, the more time passes.

"Rachel!" her fellow diva exclaimed, to get her attention.

"Sorry, where were we?" She asks as Kurt smiles brightly and the two keep on going through the isles of the store.

Half an hour later, Rachel has payed for countless beauty products that Kurt suggested were good for her and a couple of sexy lingerie. She almost fainted when she saw that everything had cost well over $100. The duo walked around for a bit until Kurt dragged her into **Forever 21. **In there, Kurt gave her countless of new shirts,sweaters and accessories to wear. This time around she wasn't that faced when her total was exactly $222.50.

"Kurt, I appreciate what you're doing for me but I'm almost at my limit." the brunette stated nervously.

"Relax, we are done for the day, now comes the best part!" He gushed excitedly.

_**

* * *

**_

(6:45PM Sunday January 2nd, 2011)

" A little bit of hairspray and some lip gloss and, you are set." Kurt stated as he finished giving Rachel her makeover. Her hair was carefully put in loose curls and she was wearing a short-black dress accentuating her legs along with a gold-star necklace and a pair of black heels.

"Isn't this a bit too formal for hanging out with you Kurt?" Rachel asked as she twirled in her dress while keeping an eye at her image in the mirror.

"Well you see we have been invited to Puck's annual New Semester Party." Kurt informed the gorgeous brunette.

" Really why would Noah do that? I didn't even know he considered either of us friends..." Rachel asked.

"Well its a new semester and plus he probably does feel bad about coming in between you and he-who-must-not-be-named." Kurt stated simply.

"Well, its definitely comforting to know that I have two friends; that's more then last year." She said and sighed sadly.

"Come on my fellow diva, we need to hurry up if we're going to get to the party on time." Kurt said as they once again got inside the car but this time with a different destination.

"Do I look OK Kurt?"

"No."

"Maybe I should go back to the house and change into something else."

"Relax Rachel, you look better then OK; you look drop-dead gorgeous!"

"Thanks, I'm kinda nervous though."

"About?"

"Seen all the Gleeks at the party since its likely that they were all invited, including _**him**_."

"Just have fun, let loose and for once in your life stop worrying so much about everybody else."

Rachel let out a smile and even though he was driving, she surprised the Dalton boy by giving him a quick hug. Kurt smiled back in return and then focused his eyes on the road again.

" Here we are." Kurt told her after a rather short drive.

"Here goes anything." She muttered to herself as Kurt knocked on the door.

"Rachel and Kurt, you guys made it!" said what appeared to be a smiling Puck.

"Thanks for the invitation Noah, we really apreci-" Rachel started to say when Puck rudely interrupted her and dragged her into the kitchen. Leaving Kurt in the living room.

"Listen here Berry, I'm trying to make you cool so people will finally stop picking on you, so try not to ruin it by talking more then you should." Puck said.

"Thanks for everything Noah, you and Kurt are the only one talking to me right now, so I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, Jews gotta stick together right?" Puck rhetorically asked and winked at her. Rachel smiled for the second time today.

"So are any of the other New Directions Members coming?" She asked as Puck started taking out the liquor and cups from the cabinets.

"Probably, but don't worry I made sure not to invite Santana and Finn cause I know their the last people you want to see and I don't want you getting all uncomfortable." Puck explained.

"Well this is getting weird; who are you and what have you done with the Noah I used to know?" She asked surprised at how different he seemed.

"I killed him and chopped him off into tiny pieces that I'm going to be serving at the party."

"Eww Noah! Gross!"

"You walked into the one Berry." Puck said and let out a laugh. Rachel shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts that would probably give her nightmares tonight.

"Come on, the people are piling in and starting to dance." Puck said all of a sudden. She looked to the living room, and sure enough there was already a lot of William McKinley High students gathering to dance.

The crowd quickly let them through as Rachel and Puck got to the center of the dance floor.

"I've never done this type of dancing Noah." She whined.

"Oh suck it up Berry, this will be fun, trust me."

_**I Know You Want Me by Pitbull**_

_**One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro**_

Pitbull's song started blasting from the speakers and Rachel, keeping her promise to Kurt, let loose. For once, she was just having fun and nothing thinking about anything else, besides moving to the beat. At 17 years old, Rachel Berry is forgetting for right now about all her goals and just focusing on the present. There's no better time like the present right?

_**I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha**_

Puck on the other hand was shocked. He had never seen Rachel moved liked that in his life. And that dress, if he was honest with himself, she was rockin' it. He's obviously glad that he decided to invite to his party, otherwise it would have probably been a lame one. Rachel Berry is adding some extra fun into this party and hopefully after today everyone will know she is no longer a social pariah. This semester she will actually have someone to look out for her, seen as Finn did a crappy job on that. Friends look out for each other and if he hears anyone insulting her or sees them being mean to hear, let's just say that those people will not ever do it again... And that goes for the rest of New Directions too_ (including Mr. Shue cause that guy can be such an inconsiderate douche from time to time)_.

_****__****__****_

_**I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
(Ha ha ha)**_

Well this is interesting, Rachel is actually grinding! And oh god, her hair is all messy but it works for her. She looks like a goddess right now with that hair and what she's wearing. But I can't do this, it's just a stupid song. I AM NOT ATTRACTED TO RACHEL BERRY. But more importantly, she isn't attracted to me either.

One two three four  
Uno do' tres cuatro

From the corner of her eyes, she can see that everyone else has stopped dancing is just watching her and Puck. This dam song;s tune just made her start grinding! It just came out naturally and she had never condoned such dancing in her life!

_**Si es verdad que tu eres guapa  
Yo te voy a poner gozar  
Tu tiene la boca grande  
Dale ponte a jugar, como?  
One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro  
(Woo-ooo!)**_

He knows this won't end up good. He hasn't seen anybody from New Directions yet, but just because of that doesn't mean their not here. The worst part is, he was actually enjoying dancing with his "friend " Rachel until he noticed some people taking out their cell phones. Needless to say, this will probably be school news tomorrow morning._**  
**_

…

The music is abruptly stopped and in that moment Rachel notices everyone with their cell phones out. For a second she is ready to panic, but she calms herself as she realizes something.

_She doesn't care. She is free to do whatever she wants because Rachel Berry is single. So if Finn finds out her coming to the party, he has no right to confront her. **HE**__broke up with her so it's too bad._

"What the fuck Puck why did you invite this troll to a cool kid's party? Have you gone out of your mind?" an angry Santana yelled from where the DJ was.

"I thought you said that you didn't invite her." Said a closed to tears Rachel as she noticed her tormentor.

"I didn't Rach, she invited herself but don't worry, I'll take care of it." Puck assures her and goes to where Santana the bitch is at.

"Are you gonna kick her out now?" Santana asked with a pout as he got closer to the Latina girl.

"No, so get the fuck out of my house cause you're no longer allow here." he said and grabbed her arm and pushed her out the door.

Puck closed the door with a slam and look at Rachel.

"There, she's gone not lets resume this fucking party!" He yelled and everyone continue to dance.

_**6 to the clock, on my way to the top uh Pit got it locked from brews to the locker All I.P uh, big and packer  
That he's not, but damn he's hot**_

Label flop but Pit won't stop  
Got her in the car, quit playin' with his, como?  
Watch him make a movie like Albert Hitchcock, ha enjoy me

I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha

I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
(Ha ha ha)

One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro

Rumba, si  
Ella quiere su Rumba, como?  
Rumba, si  
Ella quiere su Rumba, como?

Si es verdad que tu eres guapa  
Yo te voy a poner gozar  
Tu tiene la boca grande  
Dale ponte a jugar, como?

One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro  
(Woo-ooo!)

Mami got an ass like a donkey, with a monkey  
Look like King Kong, welcome to the crib  
305, that's what it is  
With a woman down here the shit don't play games

They off the chain, and they let her do everything  
And anything, hit tha thing  
And they love to get it in, get it on her  
All night long, dale

I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha

I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
(Ha ha ha)

One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro

Rumba, si  
Ella quiere su Rumba, como?  
Rumba, si  
Ella quiere su Rumba, como?

Si es verdad que tu eres guapa  
Yo te voy a poner gozar  
Tu tiene la boca grande  
Dale ponte a jugar, como?

One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro

Baby you can get it, if you with it we can play  
Baby I got cribs, I got condos we can stay  
Even got a king size mattress we can lay  
Baby I don't care, I don't care, what they say

I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha

I know you want me, want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
I know you want me  
You know I want cha, want cha  
(Ha ha ha)

One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro

Rumba, si  
Ella quiere su Rumba, como?  
Rumba, si  
Ella quiere su Rumba, como?

Si es verdad que tu eres guapa  
Yo te voy a poner gozar  
Tu tiene la boca grande  
Dale ponte a jugar, como?

One two three four  
Uno dos tres cuatro

__

__

Four Hours later, and Rachel Berry was exhausted. This party had been a blast, minus the Santana incident. It just sucks that tomorrow she has to face all the people that hate her.


	3. Like A Phoenix She Rises

**Chapter 3: Like A Phoenix She Rises**

"Hurry up Berry, we're gonna be late!" yelled Noah Puckerman from the Berry's kitchen.

" I'm almost done, just some putting on some finishing touches!" Rachel yelled from her room that was upstairs.

While Puck was busy stuffing a piece of toast in his mouth, Rachel made her way downstairs and snuck into the kitchen.

"Boo!" Rachel whisper-yelled in Puck's ear.

The Mohawk boy was so frightened he let out a rather high pitched scream.

"Sheesh Berry, almost gave me a heart attack!" Puck yelled as his heart beat went back to normal.

" I didn't know I had that effect on you _**Noah.**_" The short brunette said and smirked.

" I think we might be hanging out too much Berry; you're practically acting like a female version of me." Puck said with a chuckle.

" Obviously we are Noah, otherwise you wouldn't be so interested in arriving to school _**on time**_." She said and smirked again before she grabbed a piece toast as well.

" Come on let's go and Berry..." Puck said and grabbed Rachel's hand.

" Yes Noah?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow as they got outside.

" You look nice." Puck said before he opened the door to his truck and walked the other way to the driver's seat.

Rachel tried to make her blush disappear as she put on her seat belt.

* * *

As soon as Puck started his car their was a buzz coming from the pocket in her denim skirt. She took her cell phone out and answered it

"Good morning beautiful, you on your way to school?" came the voice of her friend Kurt, on the other line.

"Yup, Noah was nice enough to offer me a ride." She answered and eyed Noah, who was driving cautiously through the streets of Lima but still seemed to paying attention to the cell phone conversation.

" So the rumors are true?" asked Kurt.

"What rumors?" Rachel questioned her friend just as they had reached a red light.

" That you and Noah are back together silly!" Kurt answered.

"What? How? That's not true!" Rachel exclaimed and Puck look at her in alarm.

"You okay?" He mouthed.

The brunette nodded and resumed her conversation with her fellow diva.

"I'm still single Kurt, so how's your thing with Blaine going?" She asked, smoothly changing the subject.

"Not good, he still treats me like a friend and I don't know what else to do besides throwing myself at him!" Kurt exclaimed.

"How about making him jealous, he might like you but just doesn't know it yet." She advised.

"You know what, that might just work! Thanks Rach!" The Warbler boy said happily.

" I'll talk to you later Kurt, I'm almost at school."

"Bye take care, and Rach, if you do hook up with Puck, don't make the same mistake and have unprotected sex." Kurt said seriously and then busted up and started laughing.

" Very Funny Kurt." She said drily and hung up.

"So we're going to have sex huh?" Puck asked with a raised eyebrow.

At that, she just turned red and punched him on the arm.

* * *

" I can't do this!" Said an exasperated Rachel

" Yes you can Rachel." Puck said trying to make the girl get out.

"Their going to slushie me a lot today and in our haste to get to school I forgot to bring an extra pair of clothes! Oh god Noah, I'm so screwed." a rather nervous Rachel said.

"Relax, no one is going to slushie you while I'm around." Puck said comfortingly.

The two fellow Jews started making their way to the front of the school.

"Thanks for being my friend Noah." She whispered as they opened the door and got inside.

* * *

"Sup, Finnessa, did you hear the latest gossip?" asked a guy that's on the football team with Finn when he entered the weight room.

"No man, I'm trying to not pay attention to that shit anymore." answered Finn as he finished lifting weights.

" Looks like Puckerman took your sloppy seconds." the guy said as he was changing into his work-out clothes.

"What?" Finn asked, getting kind of angry.

" Yeah man, rumor has it that Berry and Puckerman hooked up at his party."

"There was a party? Why wasn't I invited?"

" Major diss man, looks like Puck didn't want you messing his plan."

"They couldn't have, Puck's suppose to be my friend and Rachel's not the type of girl to do that either."

"Why does this sound familiar? Oh yeah, didn't you say the same thing about Quinn?"

At that, Finn stormed off in a haste and walked in the direction of Rachel's locker.

"We need to talk." Finn said as soon as he spotted the brunette opening her locker.

"Good morning to you to Finn, my winter break was fantastic, thanks for asking." Rachel said sarcastically and rolled her eyes in irritation after seeing the Quarterback in front of her .

_God must hate me, the day I choose to stop pinning over him, he decides he wants to speak to me!_

When she noticed that he wasn't leaving she closed her locker and turned to look at him.

" Still here aren't you, okay then, what do you want?" She asked him angrily.

" So you couldn't loose it with me but yet you were so willing with Puck right?" Finn asked her angrily.

" What are you even talking about.?"

" I'm talking about how_** easy**_ you gave up your virginity to Puck; I never took you for a slut Rach." Finn said, and quickly realized what he had just said but it was too late.

"Rach I-"

"Fuck you Finn Hudson! I'm done with you. What did I ever see in you? You were the worst boyfriend and I was to stupid to think that you loved me."

" I do lo-"

"Save it for someone that cares and if you loved me you wouldn't have called me a slut. Not that its any of your business, but if you must know, I'm still a virgin and I did not have sex with Noah!" She yelled at him and poked him in his chest rather hard.

By this time, this fight between exes had quickly gathered a crowd who was feeding off their conversation like vultures.

" I didn't mean it Rach, I'm sorry."

" Typical Finn thinking that saying I'm sorry will solve everything. Stop being such a hypocrite and grow up!" Rachel exclaimed before she slapped him twice, one on each cheek.

" Here's your stupid necklace and I'll tell Kurt to come by house to bring you the rest of the stuff I have in my house." Rachel said as she ripped the _Finn necklace_ and shoved it in her ex-boyfriend's hands.

"I broke up with you remember, you can't do this to me."

" I think I just did and all the hell you put me through makes Jesse seem like an angel." the diva stated before she walked away and left a very confused and hurt Finn Hudson behind... for good.

"Burn!" an immature freshman yelled and immediately the whole crowd laugh at Finn's expense.

* * *

_**A/N: Before you ask, yes I'm still continuing this story! Its just that school is my priority write now and if I get a chance to write, I usually spend it on writing for my other story: Welcome 2 Elite Way High School (AU). Thank you for those who are still reading and I welcome new readers as well! Lol the more the merrier! So I also wanted to inform you guys, that I'm currently debating on on making this an EvanBerry(out of nowhere right?) fic, which would mean that this fanfic would be longer because honestly the characters I hate the most right now are Finn and Quinn. Its sad to say that this position used to belong to Santana, but that's not the case anymore. Ultimately, its the reviewer's decision. Ill go either way. But I would be much more happy if I could make this story an EvanBerry fanfic. However, before I get stones thrown at me, I want to let you guys know that if most of you vote for a Finchel fanfic. It might be a short one (maybe 7-8 chapters) and I can't 100% gurantee that it will have a happy ending. So I urge you to review, not only to get some feedback on how the story is doing but to at least vote and tell me what you want. ( Either Finchel or EvanBerry) Please take this seriously and don't flame me alright? Thank you so much!**_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**The Wonderful Mistique**_

_**P.S.: sorry for the long author's note. :P**_


	4. Rachel's Alter Ego

_**A/N: The time line of this chapter is one week after what happened in chapter 3. Hope you guys like the chapter! As for whether or not this will be a Finchel or EvanBerry fanfic, I'm keeping that secret to myself. I guess you guys have to read it till the end to find out! So don't let the "Finn and Rachel as my main characters" fool u :P**_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Rachel's Alter Ego**

"So what's the big emergency?" asked an obviously irritated Mercedes.

" Mercedes, I know we've never been friends in the past, same with you Lauren, but I was hoping that since this is a new year, we can perhaps get to know each other more. Who knows maybe one day we can all be close." Rachel said all in one breath.

"The girl can sure talk." Lauren replied in a monotonous voice.

"I have no problem doing that white girl! We do have a lot of things in common!" Mercedes exclaimed excitedly.

"So is that all you wanted to talk to us about?" Lauren asked expectantly and immediately stood up from her chair and went straight for the door.

"I'm out."The quirky girl said before she was stopped by an offer she could not refuse.

"Well I wanted to sing for Glee today, and I want to make the song into three parts, the problem is I can't come up with a good voice that can fit all three of our voices. I want to be more flirty and confident since I believe that this would be the best way for me to get over Finn once and for all."

Both of the "bigger"girls smiled mischievously.

"I got the perfect one." Mercedes said and whispered into Lauren's ear.

"Great, I can finally make my singing debut!" Lauren exclaimed and then told Rachel about the song.

"Its perfect Mercedes. That song is fun, flirty with just the right amount of sexual innuendos!" Rachel said and smiled brightly.

" Then lets go get ready to perform it, Glee starts in less then 20 minutes!"

* * *

"Mr. Shue?"

"Yes Rachel?"

" I was wondering if I could get approval for a song I am planning to sing with Mercedes and Lauren?"

" What's the song you want to cover?"

" It's a surprise but I can tell you that the singer we are covering is Kelis."

" I shouldn't be letting you this without knowing the name of the song. But I suppose that since you're getting Lauren to get out of her shell more and because I'm seeing you happy for the first time in a long time, I'll let it slide." the curly haired Spanish teacher said and smiled at the brunette.

"Thank you so much Mr. Shue!" She exclaimed and ran out of the choir room full of excitement.

* * *

**Rachel: Meet me the auditorium ASAP. Mr. Shue approved our number.**

_**Mercedes: That's great! I'll be there in five minutes, just have to eat my last two tots...**_

**Lauren: How did you do it?**

**Rachel: I have my ways ;)**

**Lauren: LOL, okay then... I'm on my way!**

* * *

" To start things off today's Glee Meeting, I've decided to let Rachel, Mercedes and Lauren do a cover of a song." Mr. Shue said as everyone started to pile in.

" Great, the losers finally know their place." Quinn whispered as she heard the news.

"Don't talk about them like that Quinn, its just not right." Sam, her boyfriend told her discreetly.

" Whatever." The blonde girl said and rolled her eyes as she sat down.

"So where are they?" Tina asked referring to the just mentioned girls.

" We're almost ready!" Mercedes yelled from Mr. Shue's office.

_**Milk Shake**_

_**Sung By: Kelis**_

_**Covered by: Rachel, **__Mercedes__** and **_**Lauren**_**All**_

_Mercedes:_

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,  
And their like  
It's better than yours,  
Damn right it's better than yours,  
I can teach you,  
But I have to charge_

Suddenly the lights were completely turned off and in a flash, one spotlight came on as the music started. Mercedes proudly strutted to the stage and made it to the center just as the first verse was about to start.

**Lauren:**

**My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,  
And their like  
It's better than yours,  
Damn right it's better than yours,  
I can teach you,  
But I have to charge**

Then Lauren came from the other side dressed in a dress similar to the one she had worn for sectionals. Although a bit nervous, she couldn't wait to prove to everyone of them that she could sing! Maybe not as good as Mercedes, Kurt or Rachel but hopefully they will appreciate her now and no longer consider her as just a fill in.

_**Rachel:**_

_**I know you want it,  
The thing that makes me,  
What the guys go crazy for.  
They lose their minds,  
**__**The way I wind,  
I think its time**_

As soon as Rachel made her appearance, all the guys were gaping at how the diva looked. It was good thing for those that had girlfriends! Rachel was swaying her hips from side to side to the rhythm of the song and a playful smirk adorned her lips as she finished her verse.

_**[Chorus]  
La la-la la la,  
Warm it up.  
La la-lalala,  
The boys are waiting**_

Rachel's skirt kept moving dangerously higher and higher as the song continued, her tanned legs looking like they could go on for miles and the white tank-top and black leather combo was certainly making her chest popped out in all the right places.

_**La la-la la la,  
Warm it up.  
Lala-lalala,  
The boys are waiting**_

By now, wolf whistles and cat-calls were being heard from the guys while Santana and Quinn glared daggers at Rachel after noticing the reaction she was evoking from the Glee Boys.

_Mercedes:_

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,  
And their like  
It's better than yours,  
Damn right it's better than yours,  
I can teach you,  
But I have to charge_

Remembering the lesson in hairography, she added it to their dance routine but the rest of New Directions could not have noticed. They were all busy watching Rachel dance. Maybe in the past this would have caused some jealousy, but in reality this was what Rachel needed to be happy again. The diva loves the spotlight and what better way to cheer her up right?

**Lauren: **

**I can see youre on it,  
You want me to teach thee  
Techniques that freaks these boys,  
It can't be bought,  
Just know, thieves get caught,  
Watch if your smart,**

Lauren took some time to wander around the room with her eyes and immediately noticed the expression Mr. Shue had. She almost laughed, which would have cause her to mess up the song. Good thing that didn't happen. But Mr. Shue looked downright terrified and looking like conflicted over stopping their fun or acting like the adult and stopping the performance...

**[Chorus]**

**La la-la la la,  
Warm it up.  
Lala-lalala,  
The boys are waiting**

With that, all three girls got to the edge of the stage and blew a kiss at all the boys. What Finn noticed was that Rachel in particular blew her kiss at Puck and had not even looked his way throughout the whole performance. Meanwhile, Puck pretended to get all hot and bothered and fanned himself. Rachel shook her head at her friend's antics as she walked back as they were repeating the chorus.

**La la-la la la,  
Warm it up.  
Lala-lalala,  
The boys are waiting**

**All: **

**My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,  
And their like  
It's better than yours,  
Damn right it's better than yours,  
I can teach you,  
But I have to charge**

By now all the lights were on and Rachel looked in Quinn and Santana's direction and just smirked. _Things were definitely going to change after today._ She thought._ Those two will never walk all over me ever again!_ The two cheerleaders just remained unemotional, clearly trying not to give "Man Hands" the satisfaction that she had won this battle.

_**Rachel: **_

_**Oh, once you get involved,  
Everyone will look this way-so,  
You must maintain your charm,  
Same time maintain your halo,  
Just get the perfect blend,  
Plus what you have within,  
Then next his eyes are squint,  
Then he's picked up your scent.**_

Feeling like continuing her mind-games, she made her way to where Sam was at, which was right at the front. She grabbed him by his collar and brought them closer together. The poor boy looked shocked at her actions, since they hadn't spoken more then a few words here and there. But now, all of a sudden she's all over him! Rachel leaned even and thinking she was going to say something, Sam allowed her. Out of nowhere she kisses his cheek and slaps his ass. Sam turns around to see two very pissed off people. Quinn, his girlfriend and Finn, Rachel's ex-boyfriend, who by the looks of it still liked Rachel. If Sam didn't know any better he could swear that Rachel was trying to provoke those two.  
_**  
**_

**[Chorus]  
La la-la la la,  
Warm it up.  
Lala-lalala,  
The boys are waiting.**

Everyone else seemed to be oblivious to what had just transpired. Lauren and Mercedes were having a blast sing together while everyone else was busy paying attention to the performance. How oblivious of them, perhaps they could have stopped what was about to

**La la-la la la,  
Warm it up.  
Lala-lalala,  
The boys are waiting/**_**  
**_

Oh. Snap. Quinn looked ready to claw Rachel's eyes out. This was the reaction she had been expecting from the blonde head-cheerleader._ This is only the beginning Quinn..._

While Mercedes and Lauren finished off the chorus. Rachel motioned Sam to get closer to her. The way Sam seem to follow was like a siren luring a sailor. He knew that at this point everyone was watching the two and the way they were interacting.

_**Rachel: **_

_**My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,  
And their like  
It's better than yours,**_

_**My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,  
Damn right it's better than yours,  
I can teach you,  
But I have to charge...**_

As she finished the last word in the song, she crashed her lips on Sam's and kissed him. Everyone was shocked to say the least. At first Sam refused to respond, but succumb a few second later and wrapped his arms around her waist. The two kissed for a while longer until Mr. Shue coughed rather loudly. Both teens separated and Sam looked around the room, suddenly aware of what he'd done. However, he couldn't see Quinn anywhere.

" Great song girls!" Mike cheered, as an attempt to clear the tension that was hanging in the air.

"Where are you going Q?" Rachel yelled.

" Screw you Man Hands, why do you always have to go after my sloppy seconds?" The blonde yelled furiously from the doors that lead to the outside.

Rachel smirked and squeezed one of Sam's biceps.

"Just giving you a taste of your own medicine Quinn."

"What are you going on about treasure trail?"

The rest of New Directions were awkwardly watching the conversation that Quinn and Rachel were currently having.

" Sam, you deserve to know the truth and find out once and for all what kind of person you're girlfriend actually is." Rachel stated and brought Sam to stand closer to her.

Quinn finally catching on yelled " Don't believe anything she says, she's just bitter cause she was so ugly and clingy that Finn came running back to me!" and as soon as she realized what she said she covered her mouth.

"What is going on?" asked a very confused Sam.

"Samuel, I believe that you deserved to know that Quinn and Finn having been seeing secretly seeing each other since Finn broke up with me back in December."

" Is what Rachel saying true Quinn?"

"I-"

* * *

_**All I'm saying is that be prepared for a lot of tension and drama to last for a while! Lol as you can see some unexpected "romances" are emerging. Stay tuned to TCCRB! And yes, I ended it in a cliffy :P lol**_


	5. The Demise of Barbie and Ken

**Ch. 5: The Demise of Barbie and Ken**

_Previously on the Curious Case of Rachel Berry:_

"_Samuel, I believe that you deserved to know that Quinn and Finn having been seeing secretly seeing each other since Finn broke up with me back in December."_

" _Is what Rachel saying true Quinn?"_

"_I-"_

* * *

"Come on Ice Queen, for once in your life tell the truth!" Rachel urged the blonde, further angering her.

"Sam, don't believe anything RuPaul is saying, she's probably only doing this out of spite." The Head-cheerleader stated calmly.

At that particular moment, Rachel Berry smirked, her eyes shining with some mischievousness.

"I thought you say something like that Preggo, so guess what? I have proof." the diva said as she opened up her bag to reveal an envelope.

Quinn's face went ghostly pale.

"Jacob Ben Israel gave this rather provocative pictures today and the best part is the only thing he asked in return was for me to bring you down once and for all. That's right Quinn, your days at the top are over permanently once I show this photos." Rachel said as she slowly and tortuously began to open the envelope and taking out its contents.

"If you still love me Rach, don't do this, it will hurt my popularity." Finn interjected and for a second, Rachel stopped.

" Even after all this time Finn, you still care more about your popularity. I'll gladly inform you Barbie and Frankenteen that everyone will know about these pictures by tomorrow. " Rachel sighed and shook her head in disdain.

"I have Facebook and MySpace to thank for that. Now you'll know what it feels like to be bullied Q." the brunette continued.

"Please don't do this, I'm begging you. What's in those pictures is not what it looks like." Finn begged pathetically, trying to convince his ex-girlfriend to stop what she was doing.

"Can someone just show me the fucking pictures already?" questioned an irritated Sam.

"Gladly Samuel." Rachel said and one by one she place the pictures on the piano for all too see.

"What the fuck Quinn, how could you,out of all people, cheat on me?" Sam said with a picture of a shirtless Finn and Quinn making out.

"Cheating is in her blood Sammy-boy, she cheated on Finn with Puck last year. Deep down we all know Q is just a whore that disguises herself as a good girl." surprisingly it was Santana who spoke up.

" Look whose talking Satan,you're a bigger slut! You've had sex with all the guys at school and Brittany!" yelled an angry Quinn.

" At least I don't hide it, everyone knows I'm a bitch and everyone knows that I have sex. And guess what? We all know the real you, Sammy here, just happened to be the last one to find out that the girl he met at the beginning of the year doesn't exist."

"Your suppose to have my back Santana, we're in the Cheerios for god's sake!" Yelled an exasperated Quinn.

" Right, like you had my back when I got boob job and you went off and snitched to Coach Sylvester so you could be in charge again." Santana answered and rolled her eyes.

"Tell me it isn't true Q, tell me that all this is just Rachel and her mind games to get back Finn." said a heartbroken Sam.

Rachel was ready to defend herself when both Mercedes and Tina motioned the brunette to calm down and stay quiet. She understood now, her part in this was over, now it was a lover's quarrel between Barbie and Ken.

" I can't Sam because I'd be lying if said that, I don't want want to hurt you anymore then I already have."a tearful Quinn confessed.

" I guess I was wrong about you after all. You are a cold-hearted bitch, who doesn't care about anyone else besides herself. I guess I wasn't enough for you." a dejected Sam stated and looked down, unable to stare at the monster in front of him.

When everyone within New Directions just glared at her, Quinn couldn't take it and ran. Finn following suit.

" Just remember that Karma's a bitch Quinn, and you Finn, good luck with her. You may not have been dating Rachel but like always Frankenteen can't understand anything." Sam yelled when the two ran out.

"Guys, Glee is canceled for today. Go home." a shocked Mr. Shue said to his class.

Within a minute, everyone but Rachel and Sam had left the auditorium.

* * *

"What are you still doing here, shouldn't you be gone with the rest?" asked a sulking Sam.

"I'm sorry." Rachel blurted out as she sat next to him on the stage, their legs hanging down.

" For kissing me and using me to get back at Quinn and Finn?"

" Yeah for that and also for how you're feeling right now. Honestly, I didn't meant to drag you into this. I just felt like you should know what they were up to."

" Then why did you kiss me?" _Not that I'm complaining, _thought Sam.

"Got caught up in the moment sorry." Rachel said with a sheepish grin.

"It's cool, your a good kisser." Sam confessed and immediately turned red.

" Thanks, so are you." Rachel said as she played footsie with Sam's feet.

" Thank you for staying behind, you didn't need too since you barely know me, but I appreciate it."  
Sam said changing the topic.

" You needed someone to be there for you and I can relate to the heartbreak you are going to. It was the least I could do." Rachel said and blushed as soon as she saw the way Sam was staring at her.

"What? Something on my face?" She asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Not at all. I'm just realizing right now that Quinn was wrong about you."

"What do you mean?"

"She used to stay that you were this ugly, social pariah that thought she was better then everyone else and that if I valued my popularity I should just avoid all contact with you." Sam confessed as he kept on looking at Rachel.

"So that's why you never talked to me."

Noticing that her head was down, he swiftly brought it up with his finger and their eyes met.

"But you know what, she's completely wrong. You care about all of us and you Rachel, push us to the limit cause you know that we can do better. New Directions wouldn't be the same without you. Not only that you're the nicest and most beautiful girl with your weird sense of style that yous omehow make it work for you. If I could go back in time, I would have made myself fall for you instead of Quinn." the blonde anounced and unable to hold it anymore, he connected their lips and it was like nothing he had ever experienced. Fucking fireworks that's what this feeling was.

The two teens layed down on the floor, with Rachel on top. The kiss kept on going, and if they hadn't been so into each other, then maybe they could have heard the footsteps that were getting closer with each passing second.

"Hey Rachel, Brad told me you were her" the person said but was unable to finish when he saw what the brunette was currently doing.

"What in the world are you doing here Jesse St. Douche?" questioned an irritated Rachel as she broke the kiss.

"I'm on break and I wanted to explain myself for last year."

* * *

**O.M.G. Another update?**

**LOL what can I say? I was inspired!**

**Tell me what you think!**


	6. The Aftermath

_**Previously on The Curious Case of Rachel Berry:**_

_The two teens layed down on the floor, with Rachel on top. The kiss kept on going, and if they hadn't been so into each other, then maybe they could have heard the footsteps that were getting closer with each passing second._

"_Hey Rachel, Brad told me you were her" the person said but was unable to finish when he saw what the brunette was currently doing._

"_What in the world are you doing here Jesse St. Douche?" questioned an irritated Rachel as she broke the kiss._

"_I'm on break and I wanted to explain myself for last year."_

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Aftermath**

"Get out now Jesse, you know perfectly well you aren't welcomed here." Rachel said hotly.

"But Rach, not a single day goes by where I don't regret the way we ended and I'm so sorry for everything." Jesse pleaded but Rachel would have none of it.

"Who's this guy Rach?" asked a confused Sam.

"Jesse St. James, Rachel's ex-boyfriend." the curly haired brunette answered.

"Is this the same Jesse who egged you last year?" Sam asked Rachel.

Rachel's eyes went wide in surprise, "How did you know about that, you weren't even here yet?"

"Word gets around babe." Sam answered sheepishly.

Rachel blushed at getting called babe by Sam. Normally she would not like for guys to call her babe, baby or any of those other names. God knows she never let Finn or Noah call her by any of those nicknames! But for some reason it just sounded so... _sexy_ the way Sam said it that she didn't mind it.

"Earth to Rachel!"Sam exclaimed as he tried to get get her attention.

" you OK?" the blonde boy asked as he examined her intently.

"Hate to interrupt you lovebirds but weren't you dating Frankenteen Rach?" asked an annoyed Jesse.

" If you want to stay alive, you shouldn't remind her of stupid Hudson." whispered Sam to Jesse as he saw the way Rachel's eyes had hardened and her expression became unreadable.

And in classic Rachel Berry fashion, she stormed out of the auditorium.

* * *

"Rach, you have to get out of there sooner or later." Sam whispered from the other side of the door.

"Is he still outside?" asked Rachel from inside the locked bathroom.

"No" Sam lied and motioned for Jesse to leave. The curly brunette nodded and walked out.

"I'm coming out now Samuel Evans and if I see that jerk,then I won't talk to you ever again."

" He's not here, I promise." Sam announced once Jesse was out of view.

The small diva slowly opened the bathroom door and came out looking in every direction.

"Glad to to know you keep your promises." Rachel said and smiled.

"Your too cute for your own good Rach."

The two teens smiled all the way to their next class; in the process they received many stares from many of the William Mckinley High students, but they could care less.

* * *

_**The next day...**_

Quinn Fabray was reapplying her lip gloss when two freshmen Cheerios walked in.

"spill." She demanded as soon as she saw the faces the girls were making.

"Well looks like that Berry girl you hate so much is on her to the top." Lacey, answered coyly.

" Yeah, she seems to be really popular amongst many of the hottest guys at this school as of late." the girl continued as soon as she noticed to ice cold stare coming from the ex-Queen Bee.

" What the hell do you mean?" She questioned and stared down at the two girls until at least one of them elaborated more.

"Clearly you have underestimated Berry. So far she has Sam, Jesse, Finn and maybe even Puck pinning over her. Three out of those four boys you've been with." Marissa, the other cheerleader stated.

"The kiss with Finn was a mistake, I love Sam and if Man Hands thinks that she can take him away from me, then she better be ready for a fight."

" She has the upper hand right now Ice Queen, she has all those boys wrapped around her finger." Marissa continued and laughed.

"You both have served your purpose, now leave me alone, I need time to think!" She ordered and in matter of seconds it was as if the two Cheerios had not even been there.

_You messed with the wrong girl Treasure Trail, you don't even know what I'm capable of._

Quinn took her cell phone from her purse and made a call.

"What do you want Fabray?" came the voice of David Karofsky.

"Listen here Neanderthal, meet me by the bleachers in five minutes."

* * *

I need you to do a few favors for me." Quinn ordered the jock as soon as they were both face to face.

"And if I don't?" asked Karofsky with a smirk.

"I'll tell everyone about your little secret."

" Your a psycho bitch, I don't know what you're talking about." David said, averting his eyes and focusing on the ground.

"Oh really, want me to tell all of the football team that you enjoy watching them change?" She smiled deviously.

"You have no proof." was all that David Karofsky said, his visibly more pale then when he first got to the bleacher.

The blonde girl happily opened her phone again and showed him picture of him eying Sam's butt when the blonde boy wasn't looking and then change it to another one where he it show David taking Puck's jockstrap.

"Peepholes work both ways David, now you know that if you don't help me, I will be sending these to Jacob Ben Israel."

"It's not your secret to tell Fabray, but I'll do anything you want as long as you don't show anyone else those pictures."

She quickly whispered the plan to the jock and he nodded to indicate he was registering everything.

"Any questions?" She asked.

"No, now can I go?" asked an impatient David Karofsky.

"yes but remember the plan and keep me posted or else." She said as they both separated and headed in different directions.

* * *

Rachel Berry was heading to her locker, her pink backpack not too far behind. She was extremely happy, her usual walk had a little bit of bounce to it. This had been the happiest she had been since her break up with Finn. Sam was proving to be a great a friend, but she can't help but wonder how in the world he could stand her. Sam is hot, somewhat popular and nice. How could she compare to him when she was deemed as a loudmouth,obnoxious diva! She was interrupted from her thoughts when the entire football team _(minus Puck,Mike, Finn and Sam)_ circled around her, each with a slushie on both hands.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked, unable to cover the fear she was currently feeling at feeling vulnerable.

Without any answer, each of the football players threw their two slushies at the petite girl. By the time they were done, she was completely drenched, and with a stinging sensation in her eyes. Her clothes were completely ruined and she broke down, Rachel began to cry as she sat in the pool of slushie that was dripping from her clothes. The bell rang and rather then receiving help, all she heard were laughter coming from most of her classmates.

"Rach, what happened?" came the voice she recognized as Sam's.

"Come on let's get you cleaned up and you can tell me who the fuck did this to you on our way." He said and picked her up bridal style.

"I'm going to ruin your clothes Sammy."

"Don't worry about me." the blonde boy stated and smiled at the brunette.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Lol how are you guys liking Quinn?" Please take time to review and give me some feedback. Thank you so much for you support! And if you are a Jesse St. James fan, don't worry, this won't be the last you've seen of him. ;)**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique**


	7. Of Scandals and Love Declarations pt 1

**Ch. 7: Of Scandals and Love Declarations pt. 1**

* * *

He lead her into the Woman's restroom, obviously because it was much cleaner then the guy's. Her backpack on his other arm as they entered.

"You don't have to do this." Rachel said, her voice almost inaudible.

Her vision remained on the mirror where she watched the blonde boy carefully removing the red slushy from her hair. After a few more seconds Sam looked up and through the mirror their eyes locked on each other.

"I swear Rach, today was the last time you were slushied." Sam stated hotly.

Confused at his statement, she waited for him to provide more clarification.

" Enough is enough, those asses won't know what hit 'em till it's too late." He said.

" It would be better if you just stayed out of this Sammy, I'm strong enough to fight my own battles. Plus those neanderthals will one day regret being so mean to me after they see Rachel Berry getting her first Tony for her work as Glinda or Elphaba on _Wicked_, while they are stuck in this cow town pumping gas for the rest of their pathetic lives!" Rachel said, without missing a beat and immediately alarmed that Sam would end up doing something that would put him at risk.

" You see? That's what pisses me off the most Rae! You shouldn't have to deal with getting slushied or bothered to bring extra clothes in case you do." Sam said angrily, only calming down when Rachel got on her tippy toes to kiss his left cheek.

" It is what is and neither you or myself can do anything about it. Sadly, it's the way things work at William Mckinley since I could remember. So please don't do anything stupid, you are already loosing popularity by being around me, I don't want those imbeciles slushing you two." Rachel sighed, understanding where he was coming from but knowing that it was hopeless.

" Not if I can help it, from now on Rachel Berry has someone to protect her. Consider me your own personal bodyguard." Sam said happily and smiled at the petite girl.

* * *

On the other side of the school, Quinn, dressed in her Cheerio uniform was waiting for Karofsky to meet her. She could not wait to hear about part one of her plan. Suddenly, she heard a twig snapped and reflexively, she turned around.

"Did you do as you were told?" the blonde girl asked, quickly composing herself and getting rid of the fear she had experienced.

"Yeah, she was drenched by the time we were done with her." Karofsky answered and smirked as he showed the picture that they had taken of Rachel all covered in slushy.

"Well done, now you can go back and hide in Narnia, I'll keep you posted if I need anything else." Quinn stated, silently telling the closeted jock that now was the time for him to leave.

Not wanting to be seen with Karofsky by the rest of the student body , she started to walk before the bell rang when she stopped in her tracks.

"What?" She muttered, her eyes giving that ice cold glare that worked so well for intimidation.

"Thought I'd let you know that I saw Trouty Mouth helping her out." David confessed and walked off.

_Well see how much this new relationship, or whatever you want to call it Sam had with Rachel will last for... _

_**Quinn: Meet me by the old locker rooms in 10 minutes, don't be late!**_

* * *

"Finn would have never done that for me." Rachel said and looking down.

"Don't compare me to Frankenteen, besides both of us liking football and Quinn, we have nothing else in common." Said said, getting a bit agitated.

"I'm sorry, you're right though, I should not be comparing you with him. You're actually a good friend." Rachel apologized and looked down, suddenly finding her nails quite interesting.

"Right, just a _friend_ and nothing more." Sam quietly said thinking Rachel would not here him since he was now by the trashcan while she was still by the sink and mirrors.

" What is that supposed to mean?" She asked confused.

"Well you're the one that kiss me twice and now I'm suppose to believe that you just want us to be friends?" Sam asked, not being able to keep his emotions in check.

"You can't possibly be saying what I think you're saying Sam. You're... confused, that's it! That can be the only reasonable explanation!" She exclaimed frantically.

"Why the hell not Rachel, is it too hard to believe that I may actually like you?" He questioned angrily.

"Yes! You and I Sam are complete opposites. While in some cases opposites do attract, that can't be case for you and me." Rachel said, her hands holding onto the sink with a strong grip.

"Are you serious? Did you just use me to get under Finn's skin then?" Sam interrogated her.

" No, it was impulsive of me to just kiss you like that and I'm not pretty or popular like Quinn; why would I a guy like you settle for plain old me?" Rachel confessed, the last part of her answer slightly lower.

"Kiss me right now and then tell me if don't feel anything." Sam said all of a sudden.

Without waiting for an answer, Sam closed what was left of space between them and captured Rachel's warm peck on the lips that quickly escalated into a kiss that was full of passion and yearning. Rachel responded into the kiss by trying to go a little farther and having her tongue inside Sam's mouth. Sam placed both of his hands on Rachel's hips to hold her firmly in place while she moved hers to his neck. The lack of air caused them to stop their make out session and finally breath.

"Now can you honestly say that you felt nothing after kissing me?" Sam asked, looking down at Rachel as he waited for answer.

" I could." Rachel stated and he immediately frowned.

"But then I'd just be lying." She continued and let out a smile.

"Had me worried for a second." was all Sam said before they began round two of their make out session.

"Will"

"You"

"be"

"my"

"girlfriend?"

Sam said in between kisses.

* * *

" To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from you Quinn Fabray?" asked that nasally voice of Jacob Ben Israel.

" I have a job for you, here are some pictures I want you to use of Rachel Berry, get creative." She muttered and gave the boy an envelope of pictures.

"My oh my, she is smokin'!" Jewfro exclaimed at the same time Quinn rolled her eyes.

" You can keep the pictures and I'll pay you $30 bucks for this little favor. But make it really embarrassing. I want Rachel Barbra Berry to cry and be so humiliated she will leave the school!" the Ice Queen finally said and waited to hear the boy's answer.

"I'm in, by when do you want this?" he asked.

" Have it ready and all set up to play at the assembly today at 2." She answered and walked away.

"And Jacob, don't get caught cause you will be the only one taking the fall." Quinn said with her back to the boy.

* * *

"Yes, we'll give what we have right now a try then!" Rachel said happily.

Sam engulfed her in a hug and spun her around, almost slipping in the puddle of the melted slushie.

"Whoa there, don't get to excited." Rachel said and kissed him on the lips while still being up in the air.

They were about to continue kissing when the door to the bathroom opened up to reveal Brittany. She looked between the two with a confused expression.

"Did I walked into the boy's bathroom? But that doesn't make sense cause why would you be in this bathroom Rachel..." the blonde asked, more to herself then to the "new" couple.

"Brittany hun, you got it right this time, Sam was dropping of my clothes and was just leaving." Rachel said to the blonde and mouthed _ ''We'll talk later''_ to Sam.

Sam blew her a kiss, she pretended to catch it. Sam just smiled in a goofy way and walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

**A/N: I was suddenly inspired today and decided that while I my creativity was still running to start writing! Hopefully I didn't disappoint and you guys like it. However, I cannot take all of the credit, _Missberryfan_. She helped me by providing some cool ideas. If you have no heard of her then you should check out her stories! They are awesome! The title to her stories are: Who Would Have Thought & Me, That's Who; respectively. Read them when you have time, she is an amazing writer!**

**P.S. Hopefully I'll have the second part to this uploaded sometime this week! :) Take care!**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique**


	8. Of Scandals and Love Declarations pt 2

**Ch. 8: Of Scandals and Love Declarations pt.2**

"Attention boys and girls of William Mckinley, it is time for today's assembly to commence at the auditorium." Principal Figgins informed them, and one by one classrooms opened and each student made it to the auditorium.

**Sam: Babe, where r u?**

_Isn't that sweet? He's looking for me!_

_**Rachel: Close to the entrance. I'll wait for you! :)**_

Not too long after she had closed her phone, two strong arms enveloped her in a tight hug.

Sam spun the brunette around so she would face him and with a smile on his face he said, "There you are m'lady".

"You're such a dork." She said and giggled.

"But I'm you're dork." was his retort as he grabbed her hand and both went inside.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Jacob Ben Israel was in charge of the behind the scenes work during the assembly. With five minutes till the presentation started, Jewfro had been busy with last minute details. He had been so absorbed in the preparations that he did not notice the Ice Queen fast approaching.

"Is everything ready?" She asked in a cold and emotionless voice.

"Yes, at precisely ten minutes into the presentation, it will suddenly go black and then show the video that you oh so graciously gave me." Jacob answered, making air quotes when he said "suddenly".

"Perfect, now all I need to do is plant the seed of doubt on a certain blonde boy and my plan will be foolproof."

Quinn whispered, more to herself then to Jacob. The head cheerleader swiftly walked out of the tech room, ending the conversation and proceeding to find _Trouty Mouth. _

**_Leaving behind her newest minion, Jacob Ben Israel._**

* * *

Just as they were about to sit down, Rachel stopped midway and quickly whispered an "I'll be right back."

Sam went to the middle row of the auditorium and sat down, while obviously saving a seat for_** his girlfriend**_. Wow, he can actually say that now because Rachel Berry is dating him; a guy who was obsessed with the way he looked, loved sports but was a nerd at heart. He can't help but let a smile out as he thinks just how lucky he is to have the brunette in his life.

" Your pathetic Samy," she whispered so quietly into his ear that it was barely audible, "she will _always _be in love with Finn and you are just a distraction for her."

Surprised, and a little creeped out, he turns his face to the left, where Quinn is comfortably sitting.

"What do _**you**_ want, " he says venemously, " Shouldn't you be with Frankenteen?"

She lets out a laugh, the same laugh he had found cute at the beginning of the year. Now, it just made her sound that much more annoying and repulsive. _A completely different person from the girl he had met so long ago._

" Do I detect some jealousy from you trouty mouth?" the blonde girl asks with an eyebrow raised.

"You and I were done along time ago Quinn." He confesses, and is happy when he finds out he no longer feels like his heart is broken whenever he was near her.

"I'll let it slide since you're still kind of new but I'm the one that calls the shots here." She says, getting awfully close to him and grabbing his hand.

" Get it through your thick head, I'm not your puppet. I am happy with Rachel because unlike you, she accepts all of me and doesn't force me to change." Sam says irritated as he roughly removed the manicured hand from his.

"We'll see about that, Man Hands is not as innocent as she appears." Quinn says coyly and stands up,sending one last ice cold glare his way.

A few seconds later Rachel comes back and sits next to him, placing her head on his shoulder.

"So what was that about?" He asked, referring to how quickly she had ran out early. She blushes and simply says

" Would you rather hear that it is my time of the month or that I had to go pee?"

He quickly drops the subject and is relieved that the assembly is about to start.

* * *

He has never been this bored in his life. Principal Figgins keeps on droaning on and on about keeping the school clean and how he wants to implent a no bullying policy.

_Good luck with that_

In all honestly he would have probably left as soon as it started but playing with Rachel's hair is a good distraction. He removes his eye from the screen and looks at her, she is rather preocupied with drawing circles on his chest and doesn't catch him staring. Not caring who sees he leans down , already noticing her grin and captures her lips in a sweet kiss that would have kept on going if it hadn't been for the gasps coming from everyone in the auditorium.

_Why are people so surprised that I'm kissing Rachel in public?_

He quickly finds out that he wasn't the focus of their attention but instead it was the screen.

" _You know, you're parents are out and Kurt is still at Dalton, so why don't we have a little fun Finn?"_ comes the voice of Rachel Berry, half undressed as she is seen laying on a bed with Finn on top of her.

" _You sure Rach? I mean we just got together a few days ago, so isn't it a bit too early for sex?" _ He doesn't know what to think, he's so confused and humiliated. Suddenly Quinn's words play over and over in his head. She is right, not matter how hard he tries, he will always be second choice. Rachel _must_ still love Finn

"Sam, as cliché as it sounds it really is not what it looks like, I didn't even know that video existed." Says a rather frantic Rachel but he is too angry to pay attention.

As he starts hearing the kissing noises, he snaps and says " So where you hooking up behind my back?"

"No! Weren't you listening? All that happened when Finn and I got together last year." She says teary eyed.

"I don't love Finn anymore, he has broken my heart too many times. But you Sam, have slowly been mending it." the brunette continues.

Just seeing her close to tears snaps Sam back into reality and gives her a quick hug to know everything is alright.

"Please don't break my heart, I don't think I can take anymore ." She whispers hopelessly and looks down.

Meanwhile Principal Figgins is trying to turn off the monitor and finally succeeds since the screen turns back to black.

"Sorry I overreacted, I just don't want to loose that best thing that has happened to me." He confesses and feels like a complete girl for speaking about his feelings to her.

Her smile soon falters when she notices the words that are appearing on the now black screen.

**RACHEL BERRY IS NOT AS INNOCENT AS YOU THINK...**

Is what the heading says and then a picture of Rachel dressed like an angel pops up, only to quickly dissapear.

**DOES THIS SPELL OUT INNOCENT TO YOU?**

And in this slide two rather provocative pictures of Rachel are ut side by side. In one Rachel is only in a black bra and matching panties while in the other she is smiling at the camera while holding a banana that has some of it missing.

**RACHEL BERRY, YOU'RE NO PRUDE AND YOU ARE JUST LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS AT MCKINLEY BUT ONLY UGLIER...**

Sam is angry again but this time it is not directed at the petite brunette but at whoever orchestrated this whole thing because honestly Rachel has something that all the girls at this school lack. And that is a kind heart. She's not ugly at all!

"Shh, calm down Rachel, I will never leave you." Sam says trying to comfort the brunette.

"That's what you say now but I bet that if Santana looked your way you would ditch me in heart beat!" She yells, to the point where the ones closest to them probably heard.

"Rachel wait!" He yells too when she gets out of his grasp and runs off.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU? YOU GUYS THINK ITS COOL TO MAKE FUN OF HER BUT ONE DAY ALL OF YOU WILL REGRET IT!" he to yells when he notices that some of the Cheerios and football jocks were laughing.

* * *

**SO...?**

**Like it? Hate it? Please review!**

**A/N: This story is loosely based on season two but as you can see I've made some slight changes lol**

**Hope that you guys enjoyed it!**

**XOXO**

**The Wonderful Mistique**


	9. My  Girl Needs Some Lovin'

**Chapter 9: My Girl Needs Some Lovin'**

* * *

"Um, Mr. Shue can I talk to you really quick?" asked a nervous Sam from the door of the teacher's office.

"Come on in Sam" Will Shuester said, as he took a break from grading papers.

"It's about Rachel, she hasn't been herself lately and I want to cheer her up." The blonde hunk shyly admitted.

It had been precisely a week since the events that had lead to Rachel running out of the auditorium in tears. One would think she would be back to her usual self, since it was just another day where the Mckinley students picked on her. Obviously he was wrong since all she has been doing is shutting herself in her room with _**Fucking Perfect **_blasting from her stereo. Tomorrow is their two week anniversary and to try and get her to smile like before, he is trying to do something special for her during Glee.

"After last time, I'm not sure that's such a great idea." Mr Shue replied, referring to when Rachel sang **_Milkshake_** and the mess it had caused.

"Please let me do this Mr. Shue, I even have the lyrics to the song I'm planning to sing, so you can take a look if you want." begged Sam and as soon as he fully explained his plan, Mr. Shue was grinning.

* * *

" Can we get on with this 'Emergency' Glee meeting or I will go all Lima Heights on your sexy but still white ass Sammy boy!" a rather irritated Santana said once everyone was sitting down in the auditorium.

" I thought you and Rachel had called a truce?" asked a confused Mercedes.

"Hellz yeah! But I can't help it if I'm hungry and couldn't' go to Breadstix for lunch." Santana answered and right on que her stomach started grumbling.

" Am I in an episode of the Twilight Zone cause Kurt and Blaine are here and shouldn't they be away at Dalton?" a rather confused Brittany asked.

Sam let out a smile quickly remembering how the flamboyant boy and his "just a friend" Blaine Anderson had stepped into the halls of William Mckinley High School.

* * *

_FLASHBACK:_

_Sam Evans was just getting out of the lockers after football practice when he noticed seven missed calls from...Kurt?_

_Wondering why the Dalton boy would be calling him, he called back nevertheless and was surprised the it was picked up after the first ring._

"_Oh good, you're finally answering my messages." Kurt had said out of breath._

_Trying not to get any ideas, he cut to the chase instead of making small talk._

"_Well yeah, you called a **few** times and I want to know what's up, are the people at Dalton giving you a hard time?" he had asked, feeling worried and a bit protective of the shorter boy. He couldn't really help it though cause he considered Kurt a close friend and had hated it when he left because of Karofsky's bullying._

"_Relax Sam, everything is fine here at Dalton but I'm afraid I have to go back to Mckinley." Kurt said from the other end of the phone._

"_Are you crazy?" he asked, " Karofsky would have a field day if you came back!"._

"_Oh please, it's not like I'm going back there permanently, it's just for a quick visit!" Kurt chirped._

_Now Sam was confused, why out of all the places in Lima, would Kurt choose to return to Mckinley?_

"_I'm coming to see my favorite Diva since I heard what you are planning to do." Kurt said, simultaneously answering his unasked question._

" _Did Mr. Shue tell you?" asked a shocked Sam, since no other people that he had seen besides his teacher had heard his brilliant plan._

"_Mercedes and Tina were the ones that told me after they walked in on your conversation, and may I add that I think it is a great idea." Kurt declared._

"_Thanks, but I still don't know why you're calling me Kurt, was it just to congratulate me or something?" He asked and blushed, glad that Kurt could not see him._

"_Singing to her **that **song is a great idea, but the made me ask you if it would be okay with if all of us could sing it and make it a group number instead?" Kurt asked, and he could automatically detect the nervousness._

"_But why?" He asked perplexed._

"_Sammy you haven't been here that long, but the truth is that all of us have treated Rachel bad at some point during the 12(counting pres-school) years we've known her for and we want to properly apologize to her." Kurt answered honestly._

"_OK."_

"_Really, that easy?"_

"_Well yeah, if all of you want to actually apologize to Rach, who am I to stop you?"_

"_Thanks Sam, and I hope you don't mind but I'm dragging Blaine with me." Kurt said before he hung up."_

_END OF FLASHBACK_

* * *

" As some of you are rather impatient, I will keep this meeting short and just hand you the lyrics to the song." Sam finally said.

"Can we go now?" Santana asked, already stashing the paper in her bag.

"Not yet Satan, please let me finish!" He said jokingly and smiled at the Latina to let her know he was joking.

At that remark, they all laughed and after a few seconds so did Santana herself.

"I've taken the liberty to highlight the parts of each and everyone of you, and hopefully you can all memorize it quickly." he continued.

"Sheesh Bieber, Berry really is rubbing off on you, this highlighting shit sounds like something she would do if she wasn't so depressed." Puck said as he lightly punched his arm.

Signaling everyone to go, they all quickly put on their backpacks and were walking to the double doors when a very angry blonde head cheerleader stood between their exit.

"Since when do you freaks have Glee meetings without me?" She venomously spat, her blue eyes cold as ice.

"This wasn't a Glee meeting, it was to cheer up Rachel, something we all know you don't care about." Mercedes answered hotly.

"Oh really you Beyonce wannabee?"Quinn rhetorically asked.

"HELL TO THE NO!" Mercedes exclaimed getting angry. The blonde smirked, she knew exactly which buttons to push to make each and everyone of them tick and explode. A fact she loved!

"So would someone care to explain to me why Satan is here then; last time I checked she hated RuPaul just as much, if not more then moi."

"The difference between you and Santana is that she is actually trying to make amends. Unlike you, who have only made this week worse for her in the locker rooms." Lauren piped up.

"Shut your trap you fat ass, ever heard of exercise or liposuction?" Quinn asked, thinking she had won because the girl stayed quiet.

Before anyone could stop her, Lauren ran and with the impact pushed Quinn to the floor. As if the cheerleader weighed less then 2 lbs. , the wrestling girl picked her up and spun her around.

"You're going to regret pissing me off Fabray!"Lauren managed to say while still spinning the girl.

Suddenly she let go of the girl, only to have her slide on the floor at fast speed. Everyone just stared in shock as they heard Q's screams which only seized when she was stopped by a trashcan that fell on her. Which covered her, head to toe in garbage and whatever else people had thrown away. One freshmen started laughing and it soon spread to everyone laughing at Quinn's expense.

Never been this humiliated in her life, Quinn ran away to the bathroom closest to her in tears.

"See you all during Glee" Sam finally said as they all dispersed.

* * *

"Hey" Sam said, as he hugged her from the back and started to kiss her neck.

"Hey to you too." She said with a smile while she was putting her 6th period books into her locker.

She shut her locker and grabbed Sam's hand, who had not stop from smiling and looking at her in a weird way.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She finally asked before they went inside for Glee practice.

"You know I care about you right?" He asked and automatically she answered with an "Of course I do."

"I know that you were really hurt by that video, and I haven't seen you smile so hopefully you'll like my surprise ." He added and without another word, Sam walked into the Glee room.

She couldn't help but feel all warm inside at the fact that _**her boyfriend **_was trying to cheer her up!

* * *

"So we all know that your dads named you after Rachel from FRIENDS and we thought that what better way to cheer you up then the theme song for the show." Puck said with a smile and soon everyone but Finn and Quinn got on the stage.

"Hope you like babe." Sam said and put the electric guitar.

**I'll Be There For You by: The Rembrandts**

**Santana/Brittany:**

**So no one told you life was gonna be this way  
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D O A**

She can't help but giggle at the fact that she is on better terms with two out of the three cheerios in Glee. As the two sing, she is happy to see that they truly do care! These two girls had hated and the Latina had been her main tormentor since she could remember. But one can always forgive and forget and it does look like both truly are sorry...

_**Mercedes/Tina**_

_**It's like you're always stuck in second gear  
When it hasn't been your day, your week  
Your month or even your year but**_

Up next end up being the two girls who she occasionally competes with. She smiles at the fact that their also showing that they care and little by little she is thinking that maybe, just maybe she's not alone.

**All:**

**I'll be there for you**

**(When the rain starts to pour)**

**I'll be there for you**

**(Like I've been there before)**

**I'll be there for you**

**('Cause you're there for me too)**

As soon as all of her New Directions comrades (minus Finn and Quinn) start singing the chorus, she starts crying. However, their not tears of sadness but rather tears of joy. For once in her life, Rachel Barbra Berry can actually say that she has a safety net. Meaning she has friends she can lean on when things get hard. Sam was ready to cut the song short when he noticed but she looked back up, he noticed that the song got to her in a good way and he resumed playing. Using that as a signal to continue.

_**Puck/Artie  
You're still in bed at ten and work began at eight  
You've burned your breakfast so far things are going great**_

Her and Noah have come a long way too. They went from being friends in pre-k to 6th grade, hating each other in middle school and freshmen year to dating in sophomore year and becoming the best of friends this year. Sometimes certain sayings do apply to life and she strongly believes that Puckleberry was never meant to be anything more then a beautiful friendship. Artie is a sweet boy and she likes the fact the he has been a good influence on Noah. Those two have the cutest "bromance" (as Sam defined it) ever.

**Lauren/Mike:  
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these  
But she didn't tell you when the world  
Has brought you down to your knees that**

Out of everyone in New Directions, she probably knows Lauren the least. If she's being honest, she had been a little scared of her before the wrestling girl decided to join. Getting to know he, she found out that Lauren Zizes is actually nice, when you're on her good side and will have you're back if she considers you a friend. As for Mike, this year he came out of his shell more and she was glad for that. The two have restarted the friendship that had began when both had met at dance practice oh so long ago but which had been in limbo when he had joined the football team.

_**ALL:**_

_**I'll be there for you**_

_**(When the rain starts to pour)**_

_**I'll be there for you**_

_**(Like I've been there before)**_

_**I'll be there for you**_

_**('Cause you're there for me too)**_

As if singing a song to her in a group was not a good enough surprise, the doors soon opened and in came Blaine, followed by Kurt! The two got on stage with the rest of New Directions and began singing as soon as the chorus started once again

_**Sam: **_

_**No one could ever know me, no one could ever see me  
Since you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me  
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with  
Someone I'll always laugh with  
Even at my worst, I'm best with you, yeah**_

Okay now she couldn't help herself! As soon as her current boyfriend started singing, she jumped from her seat and joined them on stage. She ignored the daggers Quinn and Finn were sending her way and instead she ran into Sam who was a caught off guard but quickly recovered and hugged her back.

**Kurt/Blaine:  
It's like you're always stuck in second gear  
When it hasn't been your day, your week  
Your month, or even your year**

Just as the pair of love birds where going to kiss, Rachel was taken away from Sam by the Dalton Duo.

Once they began singing their part, she kissed each of their cheeks to show her appreciation.

_**ALL:  
I'll be there for you  
(When the rain starts to pour)  
I'll be there for you  
(Like I've been there before)  
I'll be there for you  
('Cause you're there for me too)  
I'll be there for you,  
I'll be there for you,  
I'll be there for you  
**__**('Cause you're there for me too)**_

As soon as they all sang the chorus one last time, Sam moved to the center of the stage and finally leaned in to kiss Rachel. Their kiss continued for the rest of the song and would have probably continued if Mr. Shue had not coughed and ruined the moment.

"I can't take anymore of this!" Quinn furiously said and stormed out, shortly followed by Finn who on his way out added " Yeah guys, so not cool. Adding salt to the wound Rach seriously?" and shut the door with a bang.

"Thanks for everything guys." She finally said, clearly not caring about Finn and Quinn's bad attitude.

" Thank you're boyfriend, he's the one that organized all of it to make you feel better." Kurt said.

She turned around and kissed him on the cheek and a peck on the lips to show her gratitude.

"I'm just glad you're happy and smiling now." was all that he said as they separated.

"Are they always like this?" asked Blaine with a raised eyebrow.

"You have no idea and you two are lucky since you don't have to see them 24/7!" Santana said and laughed when Sam flipped her off.

"Love you too Sammy!"

* * *

"What are we going to do about them?" asked an angry Finn as he parked in Quinn's driveway.

"You leave the thinking to me Finny and I'll get back to you on that." Quinn said and smiled deviously.

" Well yeah, hopefully after we're done Samchel , we will be back on top in no time" Finn said and kissed Quinn on the cheek.

" It's actually Evanberry, no one calls them Samchel cause it sounds way to similar to Finchel" Quinn explained.

"Well why couldn't we get a cool couple name like they did? We got stuck with Fuinn!" Finn exclaimed.

" So far everything we've done has failed but hopefully third times the charm."Quinn declared.

"Have I ever told you it turns me on so much when you are all evil?" Finn rhetorically asked.

"That's why we are match made in heaven" Quinn said as she got out of the beat up truck and ran inside her house...

* * *

**A/N: Here is chapter 9, which has been one of the longest so far in this story. Hopefully its up to everyone's standards and you all enjoy it. Please take some time out to review after your done, it doesn't take that long. Thanks for reading!**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique**

**P.S.: Expect more frequent updates since I officially have started my summer vacation and have a lot of time on my hands! :)**


	10. Saying I Love You is a Dangerous Thing

**Chapter 10: Saying I Love You is a Dangerous Thing**

"So I got a surprise for you babe." Sam casually said as they sat down at what had become their regular table for lunch.

"Oh! Did you manage to get tickets for Les Mis?" asked an excited Rachel, her doe brown eyes lighting up in anticipation.

"Not exactly." Sam confessed. " Even better." he continued and leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

All while the rest of Mckinley watched with pure curiosity the newest couple being so affectionate.

"Then please do tell Samuel!" her excitement and giddiness not dimming in the slightest.

"So Coach Beiste promoted me to Quarterback for our last game of the season!" He whispered excitedly to her.

And in typical Rachel Berry fashion, she lost it completely and got so excited that she jumped the poor boy and both ended falling on the floor.

" I am so happy for you! I will be so busy once I get home since I need to start working on designing a shirt for the game. Would you rather have the shirt say _**Team Sam**_ or something more original because I did that for one of Finn's gam-" Sam interrupted his girlfriend's rambling by kissing her, which definitely worked.

"_I will definitely use this technique more often."_ Sam thought as he stare at Rachel, who had a dazed looked adorning her face.

"What is the meaning of this? Acting like a bunch of horned up animals ready to engage in sexual ministrations in the school's cafeteria? I knew right from the start that Will Shuester was not a good example for children who obviously can't keep it in their pants!" an angry Sue Sylvester said as she grabbed both teens by the collar of their shirts and pull them apart.

"But Coach Sylvester, we weren't doing anything wrong. I-" Rachel was saying but was cut off by the woman's deathly glare.

"To Figgins office now!" She yelled and personally escorted Sam and Rachel out of the cafeteria and all the way to the principal's office.

* * *

" Mr. Evans and Mrs. Berry, while we all know you are in relationship both of you kids need to limit your displays of public affection or I will be forced to take disciplinary action!" Principal Figgins while he stared down at both teenagers.

Sam and Rachel were so nervous they could not even look at each other. By Coach Sylvester's orders, the chairs they were currently sitting on were 42 inches apart.

" Since I know that you're both good kids, regardless of what Sue says, I will let you off with a warning but next time that something like this happens I will be forced to punish both of you." Principal Figgins said and pointed to his door, signaling that they could leave.

As soon as they got out they sighed at the same time; when they look at each other Rachel giggled while Sam let out a nervous laugh. When they finally got under control, Sam broke the silence that had begun on their way to Rachel's locker.

"Sue Sylvester is a scary woman." was all he said as he kissed her cheek and hugged the petite brunette.

"Sam, while I enjoy being in your arms, we need to keep it to a minimum if we want to remain at this school." Rachel said but her statement was muffled by Sam's chest, which she was pressed tightly to.

" I don't know if I can Rach." the blonde boy joked. " I'm a man and I have my needs." which earned him a punch on the arm.

" What needs are you referring to exactly Samuel? Because so far we have only kissed and it will stay that way if you do not behave." an irritated Rachel said.

" Fine, fine, I will be a good boy" Sam said, although he was still holding onto the brunette.

"Girl has got you whipped man." Puck said with a smirk and ran away at Rachel's shriek, which Sam guesses left him deaf.

"At least I have a girl Puckerman, when are you going to get one for yourself?" Sam yelled as the mohawked boy turned the corner.

"_Boys"_ Rachel thought as she walked hand in hand with with Sam, who was escorting her to her next class.

* * *

" So far everything I've done has failed but we need to come up with a plan that will finally break up EvanBerry." Quinn said as all her minions settled down in the desks of the empty classroom.

" I thought they were called Samchel." Karofsky questioned looking confused.

"Apparently not dude, Q told me that it sounds too much like Finchel so their couple name is EvanBerry." Finn answered, obviously thinking he was smart for remembering.

" EvanBerry is their real couple name, I was the first to call them by that name on my blog." Jacob Ben Israel quietly confessed.

"_Can't believe I got stuck with these imbeciles." _an exasperatedQuinn thought as she rolled her eyes and use the yard stick to hit the the table and get the boy's attention.

" Perfect, now that I got your attention, here is the plan..." Quinn said with an evil smirk while the boys payed attention to her every word. Jacob Ben Israel going as far as taking notes.

* * *

As soon as the bell ranged, Rachel was the first to leave the classroom for once. She smiled as soon as she saw Sam already waiting for her. Throughout most of English, her last class of the day, she was unable to concentrate because all she could think about was Sam.

"How was Strength Training?" Rachel asked, trying to make conversation while they both walked to Glee.

" Pretty good, I got a good work out of it since I was able to bench twice the amount of last time." Sam confessed.

"Have you ever thought you push yourself too much Sammy? Didn't you benched like 50 last time?" a worried Rachel asked.

"Relax babe, I can handle benching 70-80 now without breaking a sweat, plus I gotta keep a good body so my girlfriend will be proud to walk with me." He joked but stopped once he saw a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked and lifted her chin to get her at eye level with him.

" I'll lo-like you no matter how you look Sam. Please try to take it easy next time, for me?" She pleaded and praying that he had not notice her slip of the tongue.

She did not want to freak him out if she said the four letter word too soon. Instead, she rather wait for him to make the first move. After all, in their almost three weeks of dating Sam had proved that chivalry wasn't dead. Therefore, she'd be old fashioned about this and wait for the guy, no matter how hard it was for her to not tell him how she truly felt. It was better then having Sam run away like Finn when she had first met him.

"_Stop! You should never compare Sam with Finn, that is just an insult."_ her inner voice told her, which sounded very similar to Barbra Streissand's.

" _Barbra Streissand, you're my conscience? That is so cool, I can't wait to tell Kurt!" _She asked herself and automatically felt idiotic at talking with herself and completely ignoring her boyfriend.

"_Well of course! But stop talking to me and focus on what your hot boyfriend is saying, it is important that you hear him!"_came the voice of Barbra Streissand and suddenly Rachel was being shaken up by Sam, who had a worried look on his face.

" Rach, you OK?" He asked and when she nodded he let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, just spacing out while talking to Barbra Streissand." She confessed and blushed when he look at her like she had an extra head.

"I really hate repeating myself but I need to finally let you know how I feel about you Rachel Barbra Berry." Sam said and got on one knee.

Rachel was freaking out, not believing that Sam was asking to marry her after only dating for three weeks.

" Rachel, these last few weeks have been the best of my life and since tomorrow is valentine's day, I thought I give you this." He said as he took a golden bracelet with a music note, a microphone and a guitar charm as well as their initials.

" It's beautiful Sam, how were able to afford it?" She asked in amazement as he got back up and put I on her wrist.

"That's not all of it Rae, I couldn't help myself and I got you this too." he confessed, and showed her a matching heart shaped necklace engraved with the words _Love You Always_ on the front and in the back,

_Forever Yours, Sam_.

"I can't possibly accept this Sam! This must have cost you a fortune!" She exclaimed, trying to politely deny the two gifts he was giving her.

Sam couldn't help but smile at the worry in Rachel's voice. That's why he loved her because she wasn't like most girls. A lot of the girls at this school would not think twice about accepting the gifts. Now he knew he had made the right choice in picking her. He appreciated the fact that Rachel didn't like receiving pricey gifts.

"Your my girlfriend, so if I want to buy you gifts, then you technically have to accept them." Sam grinned and kissed her neck to try and convince her.

"Oh Sam" She accidentally moaned and blushed red like a tomato. She furiously nodded her head in order to avoid getting teased. Sam grinned and quickly unclasp the necklace and pushed her hair out in order to put it.

" I love you." He whispered in her ear.

Just as she was about to speak, Santana and the rest of the girls dragged her away and Sam just laughed and walked into the choir room.

* * *

"It's so beautiful girl!" Mercedes screamed as all the girls gathered to examined the gifts Sam had given her.

" He is so smitten with you Rach." Tina chirped.

"No he isn't." Rachel countered and when they all gave her weird looks she said " I am beyond frustrated at every single one of you."

"What did we do?" asked Brittany with her head to the side.

"Sam just told me that he loves me and you crazy girls dragged me away before I could say back!" She exclaimed and all the girls soon looked down in shame.

"We're really sorry." Santana said and allowed the petite diva to leave and run into the choir room.

* * *

" Crazy friends I got right?" She said with a smile as she sat down in the chair next to her boyfriend.

"Yup." Sam with his hands crossed and a neutral expression on his face.

It must have been a slip of the tongue then since he's obviously trying to pretend like he didn't say it.

"Sam I-" Rachel began but was shushed by Sam putting a finger on her lips.

"But I-" She tried again but to no avail.

"You don't have to say it back if you don't mean it." He whispered and before she could argue further everyone piled into the choir room and she was forced to dropped the subject.

* * *

Rachel was feeling rather... antsy and was rather quiet. She wanted to say those three words but throughout Glee but every single time she was stopped in her tracks. It wasn't until Sam got a call and excused himself that she finally exploded.

"He's not letting say I love you to him!" She confessed to the girls.

"But why not?" Brittany asked.

"Sam thinks I'm just saying it because he was the one to say it first."

"Well sing it to him"

and before Sam could come back, Rachel Berry had managed to convince everyone(minus Quinn and Finn, who had walked into the choir room 15 minutes late.) to help her sing a song.

* * *

"Before we leave, Rachel wanted to sing a song that showcases Thursday's theme: Love" Mr. Shue informed as soon as Sam walked back in and sat down.

**Clumsy**

**by: Fergie**

***(slightly shortened/altered version)**

**Puck:**

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it**

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it**

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it  
**

Puck starts off with his part, as Rachel makes her way onto the stage.

_**First time  
That I saw your eyes  
Boy you looked right through me, mmmhmm**_

She remembers that day; it had been Sam's first day at William Mckinley. Their eyes had locked on each other the minute Rachel had begun to sing her part of _**Empire State of Mind.**_

_**Played it cool  
But I knew you knew  
That cupid hit me, mmm mmm**_

How ironic? Back then she had been dating Finn and as a result had never even approached Sam. What a fool she had been, that probably had been the worst mistake that she had made.

_**You got me tripping(oh), stumbling(oh), flipping(oh), fumbling(oh)  
Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love  
You got me slipping(oh), tumbling(oh), sinking(oh), crumbling(oh)  
Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love  
So in love with you**_

But nowadays, all she could think about was Sam. And Thanks to her _boyfriend_, she was more comfortable in her own skin and slowly. She was becoming less selfish. As she said the last part of the verse, she made sure to look at Sam, hoping he caught that.

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it **

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it **

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it **

This time it was Artie who sung the verse and while she was thankful, all Rachel could focus on was Sam's blue, with a hint of green eyes.

_**Can't breathe  
When you touch my sleeve  
Butterflies so crazy, mmm mmm  
Whoa now, think I'm going down  
Friends don't know whats with me, mmm mmm**_

It was true, most of the time she spent with him, just a simple caress left her breathless. At times she also felt like her stomach was about to burst with all the butterflies filling her stomach.

_**You got her tripping' (oh), stumbling' (oh), flipping' (oh), fumbling'(oh)  
Clumsy cuz she's falling in love**_

Santana sang the altered verse as she walked closer to Sam.

_**You know, this ain't the first time this has happened to me  
This love sick thing.  
I like serious relationships and uh  
A girl like me don'tt stay single for long  
Cuzevery timee a boyfriend and I break up  
My world is crushed and I'm all alone  
The love bug crawls right back up and bites me and I'm back.**_

Of course this wasn't the first she felt like she was in love. She thought she felt that way towards Finn, Noah and Jesse at some point. But now, she could honestly say that perhaps what she had felt with ex-boyfriends had only been what other people deemed as puppy love. With Sam, she was 100% sure it was the real thing. She was in love with him just as much, if not more then him._**  
**_

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it **

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it**

**can't help it  
The girl can't help it**

_**You got me tripping(oh), stumbling(oh), flipping(oh), fumbling(oh)  
Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love  
You got me slipping(oh), tumbling(oh), sinking(oh), crumbling(oh)  
Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love  
So in love with you**_

Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love  
You got me slipping(oh), tumbling(oh), sinking(oh), crumbling(oh)  
Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love  
So in love with you

"So in love with you." She drew out as the song came to an end and now she was facing him.

"You really mean it? Your not just saying that because you feel obligated?" He questioned, his minty fresh breath hitting her nostrils.

"Hell no, what I feel for you Samuel Evans is the real thing." Rachel said before she kissed him and the two began to make out. Completely forgetting about everyone else that was in the room. This time, not even the clapping and the cheers from the rest of New Directions could stop them.

"I love you Rachel Berry."

"I love you more Sam Evans"

* * *

**A/N: I honestly feel like this chapter sucked because it dragged on for too long. But I felt that it was time for the two of them to exchange their I Love Yous and this was the only way I could think of getting the two lovebirds to confess their feelings. Next chapter will be the last football game of the season and beware of what Quinn has planned for EvanBerry! Stay tuned, and if I keep getting this much ideas, the next update should come in Wednesday at the latest.**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique  
**


	11. It All Comes Down to This!

**Chapter 11: It All Comes Down to This!**

* * *

_**(One week later...)**_

"Have I told you how sexy you look in my clothes?" Sam asked, his hands resting behind his head and sitting on his bed.

Rachel laughs and with a eye roll says " Only 100 or so times since I've been here."

Sam jumps out of bed and hugs Rachel from the back.

"Let's make that a hundred and one then." He whispers softly in her ear while still hugging her tightly and kissing her now exposed neck.

Before things could get too heated, there is a knock on Sam's door, followed by the door knob turning. They both quickly separate, Sam jumped back on his bed and Rachel went back to trying to fix Sam's extra football jersey. Which he asked her to wear at the final football game of the season, but obviously they are not the same size so it is a bit big on her. Rachel couldn't help but blush when Susan, Sam's mom walked in and eyed them suspiciously.

"It's time to go guys or we're going to be late." She states and when she receives a nod from both she walks out of the room but forgets to close the door.

Just as they were about to walk out they hear Mrs. Evans saying " It's all good Hank, they were both still dressed when I walked in. Besides, that Rachel girl is very good for our boy; Oh wouldn't it be wonderful if they end up being one of those high school sweet hearts that end up married?"

At that comment, Rachel blushes tremendously and can't even look Sam in the eyes. While he can't help but feel embarrassed at his mom's comments.

"Now don't get carried away Susan, they just started dating and are way to young to think of such things right now but I would never doubt that they love each other, even at their age." Mr. Evans says and winks at his son. Knowing they were caught eavesdropping, both casually walk downstairs and act like they had not just listen to their entire conversation.

After both of Sam's siblings have been seated and everyone else has piled in, they are all on their way to the big football game. It almost feel like the Superbowl since pretty much all of Lima is going to see it. Coach Beiste is certainly good at what she does because she can't remember a time in all her 17 years of the Titans ever making it to state. Needless to say, she is very proud of how far they have come( even though most of the team hates her) and can't wait to see her _**boyfriend**_ play.

* * *

"This town is ready for some football and we better give them a good show OK team!" said a pumped Coach Beiste.

Pretty soon all of the Titans had walked out into the field, where they received a lot of cheering. After saying their chant, both teams were at the center and quickly awaited for the whistle to blow.

As soon as it did, the opposite team(who had received the ball after the coin was flipped) threw the ball in the air and after going 10 yards, the Titans were ready for a steal.

"Puckerman, go block number 23, Hudson keep an eye on numbers 18 and 5, Chang run and go for number 40!" Sam yelled orders like a pro and even Finn listened. Sam was born to be a leader and he was quickly proving to Coach Beiste and everyone else for that matter that he had what it takes to be the permanent quarterback for the William Mckinley Titans.

Finn was a good quarterback but if she was being honest, he did not do well under pressure. Whereas Sam, it seemed could handle anything that was thrown at him. She had made the right choice by giving Sam the opportunity he had so eagerly awaited all these months.

* * *

Not to sound cocky or anything but by the looks of it, they the Titans might actually win a state championship for the first time in almost 30 years! He had been so focused on the game that he had barely looked at the bleachers, where Rachel was sitting with her dads and his family. To be honest, she look so gorgeous that he'd thought it would be too much of a distraction. But, he had spared a few glances here and there and even waved at her when she screamed so loudly, that he was able to identify her out of all the people.

"And the Titans are leading 26-21!" the announcer screamed during halftime.

Soon they were all taking a break, and Sam was sitting on benches drinking his fifth cup of Gatorade when Rachel joined him.

"You're doing amazing!" She exclaimed excitedly and was about to hug him when she pulled back.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he noticed her scrunching her nose.

"You're really sweaty and kind of stink Sammy." She confessed and when he pouted, Rachel giggled and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips.

He was about to deepen the kiss when a cough stopped them in his tracks... it was Mr. Shue.

_Seriously? Is he out to get me or something? This is the second time he's stopped from continuing to kiss Rachel._

"Rachel, its time to say goodbye to Sam and get ready for you're performance.

_Performance? What performance?_ He keeps trying to dig into his brain to see if she mentioned anything about this but draws a blank. She never mentioned anything, which is weird because she usually tells him everything.

"Sure thing Mr. Shue, I'll be there in a sec." he hears her say and when he look at her with a raised eyebrow she says "It was a surprise, now sit down, rest and enjoy the show.". She gets up, kisses him on the cheeks and practically runs to the Girl's locker room.

He sits there anxiously waiting and a few seconds later, Sam does a double take when Rachel walks out. She is dressed in a little red dress that accentuates her every curve and hair is done in soft black curls and he looks down she is wearing some black gladiator heels. She is rocking this look, and her legs looks longer then usual.

"You should really close that big mouth of yours Sammy boy and that drool is such a turn off babe." Kurt says and closes Sam's mouth, which he didn't know had been hanging open.

"She looks so..." Sam starts but is unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Driving you wild isn't she? Courtesy of moi! Just you wait until she opens her mouth and starts singing!" Kurt smirks and walks back to his seat with Blaine and the rest of the New Directions.

" I am please to hand over the microphone to Lima's own Rachel Berry! With her immense talent, how could I not ask her to do a little number for us?" Coach Beiste asks rhetorically and proceeds to hand over the black microphone to the small but sexy brunette.

" Thanks Coach Beiste, and before I start, I'd like to say that this song is dedicated to my boyfriend of almost a month, Sam Evans." She says and sends a smile his way. He smiles right back and is the first to start cheering when she starts singing.

**Only Girl (In the World)**

**Rachel:**

**La la la la**

**La la la la**

**La la la la**

She starts walking all sexy and when she bends down to pick up a white flower, he is holding back a groan.

**[verse 1: Rachel]**

**I want you to love me like I'm a hot gal**

**Keep thinking of me, doin' what you like**

**So boy forget about the world cuz it's going to be me and you tonight**

**I wanna make your beg for ya then imma make you swallow your pride**

The flower is now in her hair and how she is able to sashay her hips from side to side while singing is beyond him. But performing in front of a crowd is what she was born to do and right now all of her audience is screaming. The only thing he doesn't like is the way some of the guys are looking at her in a way that makes her seem like she is the piece of meat all the dogs want bite out of.

**[chorus: Rachel]**

**Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world**

**Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love**

**Like I'm the only one who knows your heart**

**Only girl in the world...**

Now she is looking straight at him and finally gets in front of him. She is still singing and Sam can't help but think that he's lucky to have such a sexy and confident girlfriend. As she's about to continue the chorus of the song she sits on his lap and with a smirk sings the rest of the chorus.

**Like I'm the only one that's in command!**

**Cuz I'm the only one who understands, how to make you feel like a man, yeah.**

**Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world**

**Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love**

**Like I'm the only one who knows your heart**

**Only one...**

She belts out the second part of the chorus and suddenly its like they are the only two there and everyone else just melts away. Rachel Berry has one hell of a voice and he's glad that the people here in Lima are finally taking notice. Suddenly, he notices that Rachel gets rather tense and when he looks at the bleachers he understands why.

_**[verse 2: Quinn]**_

_**Want you to take me like a thief in the night**_

_**Hold me like a pillow make me feel right**_

_**Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keeping, you can come inside, yeah**_

_**And when you enter you ain't leaving' be my prisoner for the night,**_

_**oh..**_

A second spotlight searches for the other voice and is quickly identified as head-cheerleader, Quinn Fabray. She smirks as soon as everyone stops paying attention to Rachel and look in her direction. The blonde is sporting a barely there red dress with heels that look exactly like Rachel's but in white. While her rival is still singing and making her way down, the brunette gets off from Sam's lap and has a determined look on her face. It doesn't take a genius to see that Rachel Barbra Berry is pissed off.

**[chorus: Rachel/_Quinn_]**

**Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world**

Rachel seems to be trying to show off as she makes her voice sound even better then before.

_**Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love.**_

Quinn takes over the next line and looks straight at him while she sings it.

**Like I'm the only one who knows your heart**

Rachel obviously noticed because she does the exact same thing. She sends daggers in Quinn's direction while he just feel uncomfortable that Quinn is singing to him.

_**Only girl in the world...**_

_**Like I'm the only one that's in command**_

_**Cuz I'm the only one who understands like I'm the only one who knows your heart only one...**_

Quinn has finally made it to the field and both girls are side by side. When he looks to his left, he notices Puck's and Mike's worried looks. He knows both girls have never gotten along and from what he has heard, they've had their share of arguments since middle school. So as he looks at both girls, Sam knows this can't possibly end well.

**[bridge: _Quinn_ and Rachel]**

**Take me for a ride ride**

**Oh baby take me high high**

**Let me make you first**

**Oh make it last all night**

Rachel circles around Quinn, looking like she wants to intimidate the blonde but Quinn just shakes her head and smirks. The blonde and brunette have both clearly forgotten about Sam and the rest of the people. Now it almost feels like one of those music competitions his mom watches, where people sing and one gets eliminated.

_**Take me for a ride ride**_

_**Oh baby take me high high**_

_**Let me make you first**_

_**Make it last all night**_

Quinn circles Rachel too as she sings but as soon as she sings the last word in her verse, the cheerio looks straight at Sam and blows a kiss. He knows what Quinn is up to. She's trying to make Rachel mad and by the looks of it, it seems to be working.

**[chorus: _Quinn_ and Rachel]**

**Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world**

**Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love**

The oblivious crowd is cheering on while Mr. Shue and the rest of New Directions waits nervously for the song to finish.

_**Like I'm the only one who knows your heart**_

_**Only girl in the world...**_

He **IS NOT** liking where this is going! Rachel is getting more mad by the minute and Quinn is just getting closer and closer.

**Like I'm the only one that's in command**

Rachel gently pushes Quinn out of the way, trying to regain the spotlight she slightly rips a part of Q's dress. The blonde is not at all too pleased.

_**Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man**_

Quinn picks herself up from the ground and finishes walking the rest of the way towards Sam.

"_I got a bad feeling about this"_

**Only girl in the world...**

**Girl in the world...**

Rachel keeps on singing but looks ready to cry when out of nowhere Quinn closes the distance and kisses Sam. He is caught of guard and keeps trying to remove the blonde from him but she just holds on tighter and leeches on.

_**Only girl in the world...**_

_**Girl in the world...**_

Finally, Quinn lets go and finishes singing the song. He can't help but feel disgusted and _used. _ Sam is immediately looking for Rachel but all he sees is her back since she takes off. He wishes he could go and chase her but there he's got a game to play.

"_She won't be mad at me, it was obvious that I was trying to take Quinn off me right?" _He wonders as the whistle is blown once again and their break is over.

* * *

While the rest of the game is still going on, Rachel Berry, in the clothes she had been wearing prior to the performance is sulking in the girl's locker room. She tries to rid her eyes of any tears as she hears the clicking of heels on the floor.

"Came here to gloat Quinn?" She asks, not even looking up.

"Karma is a bitch Rachel and today I gave you a taste of your medicine."

She looks and finally voices out "Why is it that no matter what steps we take to try and be friends, sooner or later it always ends up being a competition between us?"

"I don't know, maybe because it is a competition. One of us always has to outdo the other." Quinn remarks as she sits on the same bench as Rachel.

"What are you going on about this time Fabray?" She snaps, not in the mood to get in a fight with the blonde.

"Sheesh Treasure Trail, Do I have to spell it out for you?" Quinn too snaps.

" I believe that you just might have to." Rachel says exasperated.

" I am fucking jealous of you OK!" The blonde confesses.

"Why would you be jealous of me?" She wonders since Quinn clearly has the looks and a high self esteem. Something that she is still working on.

" I am jealous of the fact that all my ex-boyfriends end up loving you way more." Quinn continues.

" Maybe its because I actually pay attention to them and I'm not too busy with trivial things like prom and my popularity." an angry Rachel says to the blonde.

"Well Finn came back to me and I know Puck still loves me, so what makes you think Sam won't come crawling back?" Quinn asks her and it smirks one more time.

"I don't care about Finn and as for Noah, while that might be true, he has my back and would never ditch our friendship just to get in you pants again" Rachel says and starts walking away.

"What about Sam though, by that kiss he gave me out there, I'd say things are not over between us!" She yells.

As soon as she is alone she sends a short text to Finn.

_**Don't need to worry about anything Finny, RuPaul is taken care off. Looks like EvanBerry will finally break up today and I won't need you to do anything anymore! **_

_**XOXO **_

_**Q**_

* * *

They may have won 30-22 but he could care less right now. He was bombarded by all his teammates and as soon as he tried to go look for her his parents prevent him from doing so. Sam quickly hates it since all they do is reprimand him for allowing Quinn, his ex-girlfriend from to kiss him in front of Rachel. As soon as they let him go, he runs for the girl's locker rooms, only to find it empty. He dejectedly goes into the guy's locker room to change out of his uniform, not knowing if things are okay between him and Rachel.

"_Dam it Quinn! As soon as I'm happy, you go and ruin things!"_

* * *

_**So there you have it, Chapter 11 of The Curious Case of Rachel Berry. I hope you guys like it and thank you so much for the 100+ reviews! You guys are amazing! I love you all, lol !**_ _** Can't wait to see the response I get for this chapter. Don't forget to review after your done reading. :)**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**The Wonderful Mistique**_


	12. Lost While Trying to Find a Way Out

**Chapter 12: Lost While Trying to Find a Way Out**

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.:

Exactly one more week has passed by and Rachel is still not speaking to him. So by doing that math, that's 168 hours ; 10,080 minutes ; 604,800 seconds without getting to hug or kiss her. Truthfully, he knows that he messed up by letting Quinn kiss him.

_I did try to take her off me though, but maybe I should have been stronger and pushed her off before it lead to anything._

Part of him blames Quinn because she can't never make up her fucking mind. She keeps thinking its okay to go back and forth between him and Finn, and that's just not cool with him AT all, then the other more reasonable side of him argues that it is his fault too.

_Why do I care so much, knowing that I won't be good enough for her once she gets to New York? _

He loves her, it's simple as that. Whether or not they remain a couple for years to come, he would do anything for her in a heart beat. The only thing that is pissing him off right now is the state of limbo they seem to be in. They were technically not broken up since neither side had muttered those words. Yet this whole week was just making him feel like they were truly over. Texts and calls had gone unanswered and when he had visited her house earlier that week, her parents didn't let him see her.

Ironically, the only time he gets to see her now is during Glee and in the two classes they have together. He hopes that with enough apologizing they will make up and she will be his girlfriend again.

_**Sam: Rach, please talk to me, I'm going crazy without you!**_

**Rachel: I don't have time for this, get a clue Sam and leave me alone!**

_**Sam: If you care about making up and staying a couple, then just hear me out tomorrow**_

* * *

_**The Next Day...**_

After the final bell, Rachel made her way gratefully to her locker. The day had been interminable, like four finals week Mondays all rolled into one. Every class dragged to the point where she swore she saw the clock actually go backwards. Her classmates and their gossip annoyed her, her teachers and assignments were tedious. Between keeping herself busy with school and GLEE she was barely sleeping. On top of all that was Sam, who she had not stopped thinking about but was still blatantly ignoring.

Day to day, hell, minute to minute, Rachel's feelings never seemed to stay in one place long enough for her to make sense of them. Quinn hadn't so much as looked at her sideways in the halls since their meeting in the locker room, but every time Rachel saw the blonde headcheerleader, she felt a little sick. Left over feelings of insecurity, no doubt, given that she still firmly believed that Sam and Quinn would rekindled their relationship anytime now. With their relationship on hold, the constant anxiety over wether or not she had overeacted still hung on her shoulders.

Mostly, though, she just missed Sam. It had all started in the morning when she woke up, a dull ache that grew throughout the day until she couldn't fall asleep at night without shedding a few tears. At least once a day she caught herself reaching for her cell to text him or call him about the most random things, forgetting for a moment that they were…what? That was just one of many problems. The exhausting question that always had her putting the phone down and setting aside the thought for later. What were they now? In a fight? On a break? Broken up? The doubts plagued her to the point where – like now – Rachel wondered fleetingly if all the stress was even worth it. What were their odds of surviving as a couple beyond high school anyway? She didn't know exactly, but she figured they weren't good and the notion of going through all this drama just to break up with him after Senior Year seemed pointless.

But the pain the idea of being without him momentarily took her breath away. Rachel gripped the cool metal of her open locker door and blinked away hot tears. Pushing the thought aside, she automatically dug in her purse for her keys only to belatedly remember that her car was in the shop.

"Rachel, are you okay?"a worried Mr. Shue asked.

Rachel sighed and unearthed her Sociology textbook from the bottom of her locker. "No, Mr. Shue I'm not. I'm a wreck, can't you see!".

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, these past few days just haven't been my best." She confessed.

"Rachel, it's fine," the curly haired teacher replied with a hint of a frown on his lips, "Want to talk about it?"

"No, I have this project due for Sociology next period, so I'll just skip lunch again and work on it right now." she explained, shutting her locker door and heading in the direction of the library where she'd be working. The route took her by Sam's locker and even though it was the same nondescript, industrial red locker as those surrounding it, the small rectangular door called out to her like a neon sign.

She froze and after a moment, without thinking, she asked. ", if you had to do it over, would you still have married Terri? Even if you knew it was going to end on bad terms?"

There was a long pause and nothing was spoken in the empty hallway, during which Rachel's face flamed as her incredibly personal words sunk in. "Oh, God, shouldn't have asked…I'm sorry. Forget I-."

"Of course I would," her spanish teacher interrupted with hollow cheer. "I ended up becoming the mentor of New Directons and got to meet Mrs. Pillsbury along the way."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but genuinely smiled. "That's cute, but that's not an answer."

"Well, it's happens for a reason and it all ends up working out for the best." Will Shuester said and suddenly he felt a bit embarrassed at getting way to personal with a student. Rachel took the silence between them as her que to leave but before she walked away, she heard her teacher sighed and spoke quite calmly, "Even knowing that it would end, and I would dissapoint my parents for getting a divorce, I wouldn't change a thing."

"Why not?" she pressed, her curiosity and need for guidance for her current situation getting the best of her. "If you could avoid all that drama that she caused you and the broken heart…why not ?"

"Because…Rachel…you can't live your life in fear of what _might _happen," Will replied, incredulity clear in every word. "Even though my first marriage didn't have a happily ever after, it doesn't meant it is the same for everyone. Where's this coming from, anyway? Does this have something to do with you and Sam not being attached to the hip anymore? "

Rachel tore her gaze away from Sam's locker and took off down the hall at a brisk pace, her low heeled sandals clicking on the tiled floor with each step. "Nowhere. It's-nevermind. I've got to go, Mr. Shue I'll see you in Glee later."

"Okay," Mr. Shue said uneasily. "If you need to vent, I'm here to help."

"I've got it covered now, but I will keep it in mind," Rachel promised and ended the conversation. Her sluggish brain chugged back to life as she stowed her book on her purse and the quick steps turned into a run. In record time she blew through the doors of the cafeteria and impatiently scanned the tables until she found Mercede's familiar crop of dark brown hair. In a frenzied whirlwind of books and pencils, she dropped her belongings and whispered to her wide eyed friend.

"I am an idiot."

* * *

"So," Mercedes prompted, folding her arms.

"Explain to me why you decided you're an idiot," She leaned forward on the table and rested her chin on her folded arms. "all the guys leave the table and gives us girls some privacy." the African American girl ordered and all the guys immediately left the table.

Rachel hesitated. The giddiness of revelation that had carried her into the cafeteria with such frenzy was slowly fading. Now, the nagging second-guessing that had plagued her every move since seeing Quinn and Sam kiss at the game was quickly coming back and invading her mind.. Mercedes's wide brown eyes were upon her, unwavering under all the other Glee girl's eyes as well.

"Why have you all been so quiet about this whole…mess with Sam?" she asked, trying to stall for time. Not exactly an answer to Mercede's question, but at least she'd been able to say his name out loud.

_Such a trivial thing, yet I find myself missing calling out to him in the halls or anytime I see him for that matter!_

Her friends lifted their brows in surprise. "Um…because we can't tell you what to do." they all said in unison.

"Since when?" Rachel scoffed with a smile. "Each and every one of you has done it at some point."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I don't know about them but maybe I'm growing as a person and trying not to stick my nose into other people's business."

"Satan" She grumbled.

"Fine," the latina raised her hands in submission and slumped back, almost falling in the process. "I told you what I thought you should do, remember?"

Rachel did. Vividly. In fact, she could recall Santana's exact words after she'd spilled her guts and her tears. _Talk to him. Get the truth. This is just Quinn being Quinn and Sam was a pawn in her game. A very stupid pawn, but a pawn nonetheless. _Through the sobs and hiccups of spent emotion, Rachel had promised to do so, but one day led into the next and before she knew what was happening two weeks had passed. Sam certainly hadn't made things easy for her with his amazing disappearing act from eating with everyone at lunch, but that was a lame excuse. She had his number and they had Glee and those two classes together.

"I should have listened to all of you," Rachel sighed. "I should have stayed back after the game and talked things out instead of letting it turn into…_this."_

"It's got a life of its own now doesn't it," Tina nodded sagely. "It's bigger than just one unwanted kiss at a football game."

"It always was," Rachel admitted and before doubt got in the way, she plunged headlong into the winding series of events at the heart of the problem. Starting with how she was trying so hard to prove her Finn and all the other haters wrong, but in fact she had only given people like Quinn more power and played right into her trap. Then on to how she kept comparing herself to Quinn, and how it always seemed like it was only a matter of time before Sam ditched her just like Finn had. All the girls listened silently, but their eyes grew wider with each word until Rachel feared they might fall out of their heads and drop on the the thin carpet below. When she got to the most recent development and confessed that she had started to wonder if salvaging the relationship was worth the inevitable pain, her newest friend waved her arms and broke her silence.

"Okay, okay, just…stop," Lauren cried far too loudly, inadvertently gathering unwanted attention from everyone else. A handful of students paused their conversations long enough to look up from their their plates and look in their direction. She didn't acknowledge them, but lowered her voice marginally. "I'm not even going to touch the fact that you failed to tell any of us how you were really feeling, we thought it was unicorns and rainbows with you two!"

"It was; He was sweet and caring to me all the time but I can't help feeling like I am not good enough for him." Rachel said almost crying, but Lauren wasn't having any of it. She reached across the table and grabbed her arm.

"That is the understatement of the millennium," she said, her expressive eyes blazing with incredulity.

"Stop letting Quinn and all those ugly thoughts ruin your life, we can all see Sam actually loves you. You love him too"

"It's not that easy," she protested, stung by how none of the girls looked like they were on her side.

"Why?" They all asked.

"Because I don't know why Sam's with me!" she finally cried. Unwanted tears burned her eyes and she blinked furiously to banish them away. She was so sick of crying.

Brittany stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean, you don't know why?"

Rachel drew a frustrated breath, searching for the words. "I'm not Quinn. Sam could have any girl he wanted-."

Santana raised a brow in challenge. "Uh, no he couldn't."

"You know what I mean," she pressed, undaunted by Santana's lame attempt at cheering her up.

"There are plenty of girls who are…prettier than me, more adventurous than me…more _experienced _than me… I'm not his type at all. And it wasn't Quinn who pointed that out to me. I've always known it. It was easier to ignore when he was actually by my side and telling me that all this was just in my head and that it wasn't true. But now I can't stop thinking about it. What the hell is a hot and caring guy like Sam Evans doing with me?"

Suddenly they all just stared, speechless, and their expressions switching to shock. The silent seconds stretched into a full minute and beyond, during which Rachel tried to reign in her tumultuous thoughts in. The outburst that had inspired this conversation had been liberating, a release from everything that had been weighing her down. She fought to get back to that feeling because what she had finally understood wasn't that she was an idiot for risking her heart by giving it to someone like Sam, who was obviously way more popular. She was an idiot for doubting him at all.

* * *

Before she could put that sentiment into words, however, She heard an all too familiar voice from behind her speak to her for the first time in two weeks. "Rachel, I've had those same fears in my head too, but I don't let them control me. If you look hard enough you're always going to find reasons why _we_ shouldn't be, so just stop ok? I do love you and you are so beautiful and all around the best thing that has ever happened to me. If anyone is an idiot, it's me for letting Quinn get in the middle of my first shot at real love."

At that all the girls that had heard what Sam say couldn't help but awww.

"I know you do love me" she agreed and the admission released the vice that had been clamped around her chest, trapping her lungs, her heart, and making each breath for the past two weeks a painful struggle. "_That's_why I am an idiot. I shouldn't have doubted our love so easily."

Sensing that this was conversation was quickly becoming for just the two loved bird, they all left the table. Giving them some private alone time in the process.

"I want you to know… that I'm sorry.," he confessed, frowning and looking down instead of directly at her. Rachel almost couldn't hear him through the blood rushing to her head. She'd imagined this conversation so many times the reality of actually having it left her breathless. Sam turned his head, just enough to look at her. Up close she could see the shadows under his eyes and the weary set of his jaw. Clearly exhausted, his words and tone spoke of someone who had no time left for pride and nothing left to lose. "These past two weeks sucked. I miss you and I…it hurts. I want you back. But I know I hurt you too and…if-if you're not ready or can't trust me or whatever, I-I get it."

"You did hurt me," she admitted with difficulty. The obvious pain behind his words made her ache to fix it with immediate assurances that really, this was all her fault, but she deserved an apologyand needed to hear it first. Tentatively, she put her hand on his bicep, the need for some form of contact too powerful to ignore. "But I miss you, too and I do trust you, Sam. No matter what, I should have let you explain instead of pushing you so far away."

"Why didn't you?" he asked, blue eyes clouded with a hint of accusation that exposed how deep his pain went. Stubbornly, he kept his arms planted on his side, hands balled in a fist. "Did you really think I could cheat on you like that?"

The steady stream of students exiting the cafeteria as the bell was heard in the distance distracted her for a second while she wrestled with how to explain.

"You want the truth?" Rachel asked, trying to ignore the way her entire body wanted to curl into his.

" Of course," Sam nodded. This was risky. It might be too much too soon, but she wouldn't give Finn or Quinn the satisfaction of invading her life again, the least she could do is admit to all of the truths, already a part of her, that he'd awakened. She drew a breath and struggled to speak above a whisper. "You…us…it scares me."

His arm tensed beneath her fingers and just as she'd expected, Sam started to pull away. His eyes morphed from warm blue to ice. "I scare you?"

"Not like you think," she promised him quickly, truthfully. "I'm not…afraid of you. I'm afraid…I _was _afraid because seeing you with Quinn again just reminded me of all the reasons we're the hottest gossip at Mckinley. Even now, when we've been apart for two weeks, it's all anybody talks about."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said I'm not Quinn," Rachel shrugged helplessly, wishing there was a better way to explain that didn't make her sound like a needy, pathetic loser. "I'm not wild or dangerous or exciting or _experienced, _but I love you so much and that scares me, too. I got caught up in…in wondering why. In trying to figure out why you were with me and being who I thought you wanted. I obsessed about it so much I forgot what mattered most."

Sam stared at her with narrowed eyes, a slight frown furrowing his brow. She wanted to look away, to protect her heart from his probing gaze, but she kept her focus stubbornly on his face. Finally, he pushed off the wall he had been leaning on and faced her. The hand on his arm traveled down the length of hers and she thought she would lose contact altogether. At the last moment, he caught her fingers, twining them with his. He licked his lips and started to speak once, twice before he finally decided what to say. "What-what matters, Rachel?"

"That you already know me," she said with an amazed laugh. How could it have taken her so long to figure this out? Or maybe she'd always known and just needed to remember. "You knew all my faults and had seen me at my worst before we even dated."

Sam's features softened, although he still regarded her with a wary expression. The corner of his mouth hooked just slightly upwards. "So, basically, you're saying I already knew what I was getting into."

"More or less," she shrugged, holding back a smirk as the tight fist of anxiety loosened in her stomach. Daring a little more, she reached for his other hand. "You know _everything _and love me anyway. At least you did. If the way I acted changed that-."

"It didn't," he promised and cutting her off in one swift motion, pulling her closer. The soles of her sandals slapped against the pavement as she tripped over her feet at the unexpected move and nearly careened into his chest. Not that she really would have minded. She missed that chest and all the strength and protection that came with it.

Breathless with a new and much more favorable type of anticipation, she lifted her gaze to his, taking a slight detour at his lips. Sam held her, their hands trapped between their bodies and gave her the shortest of seconds to balk, pull away, or do anything to stop him. By that time Rachel wanted Sam to kiss her so badly they could have been engulfed in flames and she wouldn't have cared.

"I love you. I never stopped," he murmured, taking in every line, every curve of her face. Involuntarily, Rachel closed her eyes, the lashes fluttering as his breath caressed her lips. She tried to return the sentiment, but the words got lost as his mouth found hers and suddenly the world _was _on fire. Sam released her hands and every place he touched her through the flimsy white sundress radiated heat. The shouting studentsand everything else…all of it faded into nothing as she got lost in the kiss. Screw apologies. When she fought her way past all the bullshit, this is what mattered. Sam's arms around her, holding her close, making her melt. Greedily, she framed his face and pulled him closer, kissing him back with everything she had.

When they finally parted,Rachel's petite body was trapped between Sam and the wall she was leaning on. One of his hands was buried in her hair, the other firmly around her waist to hold her body flush to his.

"So, can we be done with this whole not speaking, not seeing each other thing?" he asked, one eyebrow raised in that cocky way that made her want to punch him and kiss him again all at once. But his fingers traced her lips almost reverently and she could feel his pulse racing beneath her hand on his chest.

"Well, I don't know about speaking, but I want to _see _a whole lot of you very, very soon," she promised, pulling him in for another scorching kiss.

"What was that about not being exciting?" Sam teased when they came up for air. Rachel blushed, feeling the burn to the roots of her hair and she realized she had even missed _that _the past two weeks without him.

The cafeteria was quiet now and for the first time something other than Sam crossed her mind. "Yeah, well, this exciting girl is going to be late for her sociology class and will have to turn in her project late because she didn't finish it."

Sam groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder. Rachel giggled and bit back a moan when he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, working his way up her throat to eventually whisper in her ear. "Are you sure you can't just skip it all together?"

Rachel couldn't think straight enough to answer, so she dragged his lips back to hers, kissing him slowly and savoring every taste. The longer they stood there, wrapped up in each other's arms and ignoring the rest of the world, the more complete she felt. Every hurt, small and large, was being healed by his lips as they caressed her jaw, his teeth as it scraped her bottom lip and his tongue as it dueled with hers.

"Forget it," she murmured, gasping as he paid attention to the sensitive spot just behind her ear.

"What?"

"I said forget it," Rachel gently pulled him back to meet her eye. "The only place I want to be today is with you."

* * *

_**Sorry if their are any mistakes, its kind of later right now and I was sick while writing this. lol so hopefully it does not suck. As you can see no song in this chapter but their will probably be two in the next one. Coming up next is my version of Blame it on the Alcohol! And beware, their will be a lot of drama and an unexpected twist. ;) Thanks for still reading The Curious Case of Rachel Berry. The support and reviews I get is what pushes me forward. I will resume working on the next chapter in two days. Hopefully I wont be as sick...**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**The Wonderful Mistique**_


	13. Letting Loose

**Chapter 13: Letting Loose**

* * *

"What are these for?" Rachel asked as she eyed the envelope warily.

"Their invitations to my birthday party silly!" an overly chirpy Quinn exclaimed as she sat down with Glee Club at lunch.

"Why are you sitting with us?" Santana asked, " you **NEVER **sit with us."

"Just trying to make some amends by inviting all the people I have been mean to." Quinn stated and looked around all the girls.

"Did u hit your head or something because you hate me, not to mention the fact that you went and kiss my boyfriend." Rachel said unsure of Quinn's real motives.

" I feel so ashamed that I did that! Honest, but I'm trying to change and be a better person Rachel." Quinn pleaded and the tears soon followed.

"You went and kissed my boyfriend out of spite Quinn, how do I forgive you for that?" the short brunette asked, looking straight at the blonde.

"Because I finally have come to terms with the fact that he loves you. Believe me when I say that I give you two my blessing." A crying Quinn said as Rachel was taken aback.

"We haven't really talked since last year, so it be great to catch up." an apprehensive Mercedes said and suddenly the Ice Queen's tears soon stopped.

"Perfect, can't wait to have you all there!" Quinn said and got up from her seat on the table.

"Oh, I almost forgot, give these to Kurt and Blaine to while you're at it." and handed the invitations to the African-American girl.

Minutes after the blonde left, all the girls were still deep in thought.

"She didn't sound honest at all." Brittany muttered, " And knowing Barbie, she's up to something bad".

* * *

"Hey," a familiar voice wrapped around him as soon as he had exited his last class before GLEE. Surprised, he tried to turn, but Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist and peered around his shoulder. "Found you."

"You sure you want me?" he raised a brow, only half joking. The smile she gave in return left him wrecked.

"Always," she replied sweetly and he knew she understood. Things were finally looking better for them and he was so happy for that. Gazing into her deep brown eyes he wondered if she had any idea how easily she snuck under his defenses. Even though she'd been doing it for almost two months now, it still caught him off guard just how hard he had fallen for her. Quinn made him repressed the real Sam and turned him into someone whose only though was staying at the top. Now, he could care less how popular he was, it didn't mean a thing unless Rachel was by his side.

"What's that you have there?" Sam asked as he noticed the envelope she was holding.

Rachel wordlessly handed the envelope to him and upon better inspection he realized it was an invitation. It was pink and had hearts all over the place and when he opened it, a crown popped out with the inscription:

_**You are cordially invited to Quinn Fabray's 17th Birthday Bash.**_

_**A night of pure fun and letting loose!**_

_**It will be at 1465 Yellowbrick Rd, 45081**_

_**Feel free to dress up and hopefully not just the birthday girl will have fun!**_

_**Yours truly,**_

_**Quinn Fabray**_

"Do you want to go?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Honestly, I'm thinking its Quinn's way of apologizing to me for how mean she has been to me all these years." the brunette affirmed.

"Well okay I'll go but you can never leave my side, I don't trust my ex for a second." Sam whispered in her ear and put an arm around her.

" I Promise Sammy"

* * *

Rachel wandered slowly through the dress displays at bebe, studying each ensemble carefully. On the other side of the deep, but narrow store, Santana eyed a silk print mini-dress in shades of brown and cream with African inspirations. She couldn't imagine wearing it, but Santana could pull it off. Smiling wanly, she returned her careful consideration to a black satin panel dress and bit her lip. The garment looked so much like something Quinn would wear, Rachel was half convinced the girl actually owned it. Running her fingers down the horizontal pleating, she sighed and moved on.

Quinn's birthday party was only hours away and Rachel had decided to go with Santana, since they were both searching for something new in honor of the occasion. Initially, a section of flowing pastel pinks and purples had caught Rachel's eye, but after wrestling internally for five minutes, she forced herself to another section where black, silver and ridiculous hemlines dominated. While not nearly as driven as the day of the football game, Rachel had no intention of stepping back into her comfort zone. The thought of possibly loosing Sam still weighed too heavily on her mind. Despite said boy assuring her it would never happen

A silver mini-dress beckoned her and she ventured closer to inspect the design. Just as she'd figured, it looked good but she wasn't too sure if she'd be able to pull it off.

"I think I'm going to try this on," Santana interrupted Rachel's inner debate and held up the brown and cream silk dress. Up close the macrame neckline was even more over-the-top. Rachel grinned.

"Only you could pull that off," she vowed. Holding up the skimpy silver dress, she twisted it so the crystal detailing around the bust sparked in the fluorescent lighting. "What do you think?"

Santana raised a brow in obvious skepticism. "It's pretty…"

"But?" she prompted.

"But it's not…very _you_," her friend pointed out. Ignoring the spike of anxiety in her stomach, Rachel nodded.

"Then it's perfect," she replied airily, leading the way to the dressing rooms.

"Perfect?" Santana said, clearly bewildered. "What are you trying to do? Out- do Quinn, the birthday girl at her own party?"

"Perhaps, or maybe I'm just broadening my horizons," Rachel muttered as she slipped into the tiny white-walled cubicle and shut the door. She hung the dress on the provided hook and stared at it for a moment. If only she could out do her rival. Or are they frenemies now? At this point she really wasn't sure _what _to consider Quinn. After the "run-in" they had at the locker room, Rachel had been holding her breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. Between every class she half expected to find her locker door inscribed with some even more horrendous obscenity than the previous year or to once again feel the weight of a hundred accusing stares whenever she walked down the hall. Granted, her and Sam's status as a couple _was _the talk of Mckinley despite the fact that half the school had seen them together and should be used to them, but the talk this time wasn't just them, they were all curious that Quinn had not done anything to embarrass the brunette yet.

In fact , Rachel had felt threatened by Quinn the minute she'd seen Sam talking to her at the auditorium. She'd been too far away to hear their words, but that hadn't stopped her stomach from dropping to her shoes and every ounce of the nausea she'd thought was behind her from surging to burn the back of her throat. By the time Quinn saw her and bid farewell with a smile, Rachel had been seconds away from full blown paranoia. It just didn't make any sense. Quinn _should _be pissed and plotting revenge. That's just how she operated.

Shedding her clothes and tossing them absently aside, she slipped the dress off the hanger and over her head. When she had sat next to Sam, she'd nearly lobbied him with twenty questions right there and then but was stopped by Figgins voice. Something had stopped her, however, and saved her from making an utter fool of herself. Rachel didn't know if it was the way Sam had touched her and kept her from running away, or the way he'd focused on her so completely. She'd almost forgotten the witnessed conversation between the exes. Almost. At least enough to shove it to the back of her mind where it belonged.

Appraising her reflection in the mirrors, she admired the way the fabric clung to her body, it accentuated her curves rather nicely. Standing up the skirt was ridiculously short. If she bought it, she foresaw a night of very little sitting. The hidden back zipper was too low for her to reach, so she poked her head out of the dressing room.

"S, I need help."

"Just a second," the other girl muttered from behind the slatted white door. A moment later, she nudged it open with her hip and came out, her hands busily tying the halter style top. Just as Rachel had predicted, the willowy brunette pulled off the exotic look with aplomb. The Latina's lucious brown locks and eyes popped against the wildly pattered garment. She held out her arms. "Well?"

"I was _so _right San. It looks perfect. Of course. Can you zip me?" Gathering her hair, Rachel turned around while Silver worked the zipper. Now it was Rachel's turn to seek approval and her friend considered carefully before speaking. She bit her lip. "Well?"

"I stand corrected," Santana shrugged. "That dress is definitely you."

Rachel grinned in relief. For several minutes they stood in front of the three way mirrors, the conversation focused on make-up and hair and whether or not Santana needed new shoes to match her dress. As they were about to go back to their separate dressing rooms to change, Santana stopped Rachel in her tracks with an unexpected question.

"Are we really doing this?"

Rachel looked over her shoulder, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Doing what, buying clothes?"

"Going to Quinn's party," Silver fiddled with a decorative drape of fabric, her eyes downcast. "Do you really think it's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked, attempting for once not to make assumptions.

"I'm still…really mad at her," Santana confessed. With a disgusted flick of her hands, she dropped the fabric and met Rachel's searching gaze. "And I don't trust her."

"With what?"

"With anything," she replied, her eyes wide and full of months of pent up frustration. "She snitched to Coach Sylvester about my boob job and was just as horrible as I was last year to you. Yet,now the Ice Queen just expects an apology and a party invitation will make up for that? Well, I'm sorry. No. I can't get over it that easily. And I don't believe for a second that she's okay with you and Sam being together. Do you?"

Rachel hesitated, her eyes downcast. "She said she was-."

"Rachel Barbra Berry!"

Shifting anxiously from foot to foot, she sucked in a sharp breath. "Fine. No. I mean…not really. It's not like her."

"Exactly!"

"But what else are we supposed to do?" Rachel demanded. "Not go and start a fight where there isn't one?"

"Or go and walk right into Q's trap," Santana folded her arms. "I've known her a long time and even when we were friends some of the things she did to people who pissed her off…she could have out-Mean Girled the original Plastics."

The realization that Santana could be right slammed into Rachel with sickening clarity. She wanted to kick herself for being so naïve and not thinking of it before. This could be Quinn's ultimate revenge. A huge, humiliating trap at the party of the decade that everybody who was anybody clamored to attend. Wearily, she leaned her forehead against the door frame, lips pursed in thought. No matter what happened, there and Sam always had something to overcome. Now she had Quinn and her unknowable agenda hanging over her head. Questions stacked upon contradictions until she wanted to tear out her hair and cry.

Finally, she said. "Okay, look. If we don't go, we definitely make things worse. Either because we hurt Quinn by shafting her or because she gets pissed we ruined her plans. But if we go we've got a 50/50 shot, right?"

Santana thought about it a few moments and made a face. "Ugh. I hate your logic. But when you're right, you're right. We'll just have to stick together. There's safety in numbers."

"Exactly," Rachel agreed, forcing a confident smile. Mollified, Santana ducked into her dressing room, leaving Rachel to slowly do the same. Removing the dress she carefully returned it to the hanger and tried to ignore the butterflies whipping through her stomach on the wings of a hurricane. She'd never been excited about the party, but she hadn't started dreading it until that moment.

"It's just one night," she whispered, getting dressed once again in her own clothes. The mere thought of skipping it brought such lightness to her heart that nearly made her dizzy. Now, she had to use her own reasoning to strengthen her resolve. Attending Quinn's party might be a mistake, but not going was guaranteed friendship suicide. All her friends would be there, she reminded herself. Even if the worst happened,they had promised her that they wouldn't let her suffer alone like before. Holding tight to that thought, she grabbed the dress and her purse and left the dressing room.

* * *

"Rachel?"

"Upstairs," she replied. Sam took each step slowly, forced now that he was alone to face the fact that Quinn's party was actually happening. Dread settled heavily in his stomach as he reached the landing and turned toward Rachel's room. After Quinn had ambushed him and kissed him, he'd managed to put off thinking about the subject altogether. Now, of course, he had no choice. No amount of promises made attending Quinn's birthday with Rachel seem any less like poking a sleeping tiger with a short stick.

"Are you ready? Let's get this over with…" Sam poked his head through the open doorway, the words dying on his lips as he got his first glimpse of Rachel. "Damn."

"You like?" she asked, tearing herself away from the vanity mirror for a moment and turning a slow circle. Her expression was almost shy but her body held nothing back. The silver dress wasn't as short as the one she'd worn during her performance at the game, but this one clung tighter to her curves, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her legs were so tanned and they looked like they could go on for miles. Her hair gathered in curls that probably took hours to perfect and her feet were bare. Sam was pretty sure the only way he'd see more of her was if she was naked. Which was suddenly the only way he wanted to have her. Rolling her eyes at his most likely dumbfounded expression, she lifted her bare shoulder. "Well? What do you think?"

"I think," he began after he found his voice and convinced his feet to move across the carpet toward her. "That you're going to get me in a lot of trouble wearing that dress."

"Really? Why?" she wondered with a knowing smile as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and addressed her reflection in the mirror.

"Because I'm going to have to kick every guy's ass that looks at you," he replied, pressing a kiss to the curve of her neck and appreciating the way she shivered in response. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he shrugged. "I'm going to be really busy."

"You're ridiculous."

"And you must be blind," he insisted. His hands wandered up and down her arms under an influence all their own. Beneath her tan, he could just see the flush brought on by his words.

"Can you, um, finish zipping me up?" Rachel asked self-consciously. "I can't reach it."

Glancing down, Sam found the tab of the zipper, closed only halfway. He tugged it up a couple of notches and stopped, meeting her gaze in the mirror and holding it. The party had seemed like a chore ten minutes ago. Now it seemed like absolute torture. "You know, it could just as easily go the other way."

Rachel frowned in confusion until he began to backtrack. "Sam."

"What?" he asked innocently, dragging the zipper down with agonizing slowness.

"Stop it," she said, reaching back and trying to fight his hands away from the zipper.

"Come on," he persisted, tightening the arm around her waist when she tried to squirm away. "Forget about the party. Nobody would miss us. Your dads are gone again and you are home alone. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Oh, and you think if you get this dress off of me I'll just be putty in your hands, huh?" she demanded, trying to arch out of his reach as he kissed his way from her shoulder to the delicate spot just behind her ear. By now the zipper was down to her lower back.

"It's a start," he murmured, lips brushing the shell of her ear and making her sag against him. Rachel uttered a curse as she succumbed to persuasion and turned in his arms. This time he let her, relishing the taste of her mouth as it found his. Abandoning the zipper, he slid his hand beneath the open fabric, palming bare, warm flesh. His comment about feeling like it had been forever hadn't been a lie. He'd barely spent more than five minutes with her between classes the past couple of days after getting back together. After spending nearly twenty-four seven with each other, being apart so much was a startling change.

Knowing the bed was behind them, he maneuvered her towards it, intent on taking this as far as she was willing to go. If he could distract her to the point where they skipped the party completely, so be it. In her room she'd be safe and he could keep his promise of making sure she was safe and not let anyone hurt her.

Sam found the bed with the back of his knees and sank to the mattress, laying back and taking Rachel with him. All the while he kissed her like he'd been starving for the contact, encouraged all the more when she returned the kiss with equal passion. It had only been a couple days, but already he decided that too much time apart was going to kill him.

All too soon, however, Rachel's fingers were no longer threaded through his hair, urging him closer. With a muffled cry of distress, she pressed her hands to his chest and forced some distance between them. "Sam, this…this isn't going to work."

"Pretty sure it's working fine," he said a little breathlessly. Tugging at one of her hands, he tried to throw her off balance and bring her back down to his level. At the last second she snatched her hand away.

"No. No, you don't," she shook her head, rising up on her knees for better leverage. Of course, that just put her thighs on either side of his waist, the already short hem of her skirt riding higher and exposing plenty of bare flesh. Contenting himself with that contact, he slid his hands under the ruffled edge of her dress and squeezed, raising his brow in challenge when she frowned at him. "I'm not going to cave. We are going to Quinn's party, regardless of how horny you are."

Sighing, Sam stared up at her, the knot back in his stomach. "What if I said I really didn't want to go?"

"I'd say you were trying to get me into bed."

"And you'd be right," he admitted readily. Sitting up, he dropped the seduction routine and brought his hand to her cheek. A few tendrils of hair had fallen over her face and he pushed them back, lingering on the softness of her skin. "But seriously. What if?"

The good natured teasing faded from Rachel's deep brown eyes. "Then I'd want to know why."

Plenty of vague reasons flew to the tip of his tongue, but when he tried to put them into words, Sam realized they were nothing but feelings. A sense of impending doom that spread out in many directions but all boiled down to one static fact. "I don't trust Quinn or Finn, things have been way to calm and I feel like a storm is brewing."

Rachel smiled faintly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you and Santana have been conspiring together. We had this same conversation earlier today."

"Really?" Sam raised a brow. "I take it she didn't have any luck changing your mind, either."

"No, but if it makes you feel any better, your tactics came much closer and were way, _way _more fun," she teased. Settling more comfortably in his lap, Rachel wrapped her arms around him and let her hands settle loosely on his shoulders. "I'll tell you the same thing I told her. I'm not totally convinced that Quinn has changed either. I admit we could be walking into some kind of horrific trap."

"Exactly," he agreed. "Which is why-."

"We should definitely go," she insisted. Sam frowned.

"What?"

"Look, Sam…if we don't and Quinn genuinely wanted us there, then we'll be starting a war where there wasn't one."

"And if it is a trap?"

"There's safety in numbers," she said with a shrug that fell just short of casual. Her gaze fell to the open collar of his black shirt, taunting her with images of his chest and those rock hard abs. Although she tried, Rachel failed miserably at sounding nonchalant. "You know, if you really don't want to go, I understand. Santana and I can-."

"No, hold on. That's not what I meant," Sam cut her off and tipped her chin so she had to look him in the eye. There was no way he was letting Rachel face this party alone. "If you go, I go. We stick together. That's how we'll get through this Rae."

"If there's even anything to get through," Rachel added with a relieved smile. "Quinn's has had plenty of times to ruin us further after she kissed you, yet she hasn't done anything as of late. Patience is not her style, so…maybe…"

Sam saw the naked hope in Rachel's eyes and knew how badly she wanted to believe in Quinn. He had to admit his ex could have really turned over a new leaf.

With regret that had little to do with his reservations about Quinn's party, Sam reached around and found the zipper to Rachel's dress. Deliberately, he dragged it all the way to the top as Rachel's smile widened. She was about to scramble off his lap when he gripped her waist, holding her in place.

"One condition," he warned. Rachel raised a brow, her eyes once again sparkling and alive. He leaned in close enough for her perfume to invade his senses and it was all he could do to resist the urge to taste her again. "After the party, we pick up where we left off here."

Rachel pretended to think about it, then slowly brushed her lips against his. "I think that can be arranged. The only guy I want to loose my virginity is you Sam Evans."

* * *

Hours later, Quinn's birthday festivities were in full swing. The carefully selected guests were partying without a care in the world, taking full advantage of the well stocked bar. The gift table on the landing was positively overflowing with presents of all shapes and sizes. Quinn surveyed it from her perch at the top of the stairs with a satisfied smirk. Everybody was having the time of their lives. For what was left of the school year, hers would be the event to beat. The party was a success.

Despite it all Quinn remained impervious to the celebration. She was the perfect hostess and put on a tremendous show of reveling in the attention and excess all around her, but her heart wasn't in it and her gaze kept drifting to one particular table outside by the pool.

Rachel and Sam had arrived at the height of the rush, almost blending in with the other guests. They had been laughing about something, completely oblivious to anyone else. Quinn had been unprepared for the intense stab of jealousy that pierced her heart. They were really happy, she'd realized. That stupid, ridiculous, in-their-own-world joy that she was fairly certain she'd never feel again. Drawing on every ounce of her reserves she had managed to keep her mask in place as she greeted them. Rachel's smile and hug were genuine enough, but judging from the way Sam's body language had changed when they'd exchanged obligatory hello's, he'd rather have been just about anywhere else.

Even though she'd tried to ignore them, Quinn had been acutely aware of their progress through the house and out to the poolside, to where Blaine and Kurt had already claimed a table. Now, struggling to breath around the thick lump in her throat, she sullenly noted how in tune Sam was to Rachel's every move. He didn't hover or cling - he was far too cool for that - but even from a distance, Quinn could see that he only had eyes for her. Blinking furiously, she stared at the ceiling and fought to stem the tears burning behind her lids. Had Sam, Finn or even Puck ever looked at her like that? The surge of self pity and despair over feeling like she'd lost something she never knew she had was almost enough to make her believe she really wanted him back.

"Are they like, super-glued together or something?" Finn appeared at her side and leaned his hip against the railing. A beer in his hand. Quinn hadn't even ate or drank anything yet.

Grateful for the distraction, she forced a tight-lipped smile she hoped oozed confidence. "Patience. It'll happen."

"I hope so," Finn said, sipping delicately at what was probably his fourth or fifth beer. Quinn couldn't say much.

"Oh, I knew Rachel would come," Quinn admitted, stifling the urge to slap him for being so stupid Finally she turned her gaze on her rival For the first time, she really studied the girl. Her short, silver dress was actually hot, something Quinn wouldn't have minded being caught dead in. Definitely not Rachel's usual knee high socks and short skirts. Quinn had to admit it was fantastic, even though it would have looked better on _her. _As she stared, her melancholy dissipated and self-righteous anger took its place. The difference was invigorating, she dried the tears that escaped her eyes and eased the ache of her battered heart. Quinn was grateful. Rachel deserved everything she had coming to her. The smile she'd worked so hard felt genuine for the first time that night. "I'm sure Sam tried to talk her out of it, but deep down Rachel is still that naïve little girl who wants feel accepted."

Quinn rolled her eyes. As soon as she lured Sam away from Rachel, Brittany and Santana would be next. She was really getting tired of everyone ditching her to be friends with freaking RuPaul.

Deciding it was time for a drink, she pushed away from the railing and headed for the stairs, Finn trailing behind her like a dutiful puppy. "The point," she called over her shoulder, warming more and more to what was yet to happen. "Is that Rachel trusts me and won't realize her mistake until it's too late."

"This is going to be so epic,"Finn whispered and was able to make it all the way down the stairs, despite being drunk out of his mind. Quinn had to give kudos to where they were deserved, since Frankenteen tended to be a total klutz when he was sober.

"You remember what you have to do, right?" she asked, after giving the sexy barista her order.

"Of course."

"I'm serious, Finn," Quinn insisted. "If you screw up the timing it will be disastrous."

"I won't let you down," he vowed. "I swear. I won't. I'm not retarded like Brittany."

Her drink was ready, so she took the tall glass and brought it to her lips, the alcohol barely registering now. "Right. I know. You understand loyalty."

"That's right," Finn smirked and glanced over his shoulder toward Rachel and Sam's table. The grin grew to something almost predatory when she turned back and raised her martini glass. "To the end of Sam and Rachel!"

* * *

Much to her surprise, aside from the first intense moments with Quinn when they'd first arrived, Rachel was actually having a really good time. Immediately, she and Sam had stopped at the bar and then claimed seats at a table with Blaine and Kurt. The other members of New Directions were scattered around but still close to their table. They hadn't moved since and the combination of easy conversation and alcohol had unwound the knots of tension between her shoulder blades. At some point, she'd kicked off her shoes and curled her legs beneath her in the padded deck chair - quite the feat considering the length of her dress. Sam sat beside her, his arm stretched out on the armrest, fingers casually entwined with hers. Rachel rested her head against the fluffy cushion and studied him. Sam wasn't looking at her, laughing instead at something Lauren and Noah were saying, but the way his thumb brushed deliberately over the back of her hand put her at ease. In that moment, it was hard to drum up the anxiety she'd walked through the door with.

"No, seriously," Santana was now saying, setting her drink on the table with a clumsy clatter and gripping the edge of the glass top. Leaning down, she locked her eyes on the flower arrangement, particularly the large photo of Quinn's face at the heart of it. Her dark brown eyes went wide. "Try it. It's like she's watching us."

"No thanks, crazy," Sam laughed. "I'd rather she just kept her eyes on you and leave me alone."

"This is so trippy," the brunette cheerleader insisted, ignoring him.

Sam raised a brow at Mike, who was closest to the Latina and gestured toward the empty martini glass. "How many of those things has she had?"

"7.5" Santana held up her hand, fingers splayed, but didn't look away from the mesmerizing Quinn display.

"Almost 8, apparently," Mike shook his head and leaned back in his chair, bringing Tina closer to his chest.

"Stop being snobs," she lifted her head and pursed her lips at Sam and all the other guys. "They're really good."

"Yeah, I don't think I need to…_drink _Quinn," Blaine pointed out, eying the glowing blue concoction named for the birthday girl suspiciously. Taking a drink from his beer for good measure he assured the Latina. "I'll take your word for it."

"Whatever," Santana mumbled with an exaggerated sigh. She leaned back in her chair, then realized a split second later that her glass was empty and leapt clumsily to her feet. "To the bar!"

Next to her, Rachel could feel Sam's shoulders shaking with laughter. Puck rose good-naturally to his feet and steadied the Latina. Bending down to look her in the eye he asked. "Don't you think maybe 7 is enough for now?"

Santana pretended to think about it, glancing surreptitiously at Rachel and winking. Heaving a sigh that testified to just how taxing she found this suggestion she narrowed her eyes. "I suppose a water or coke this round might be a good idea."

"Good girl," Puck approved and took Santana's elbow to guide her away from the edge of the pool.

"We'll be right back!" she promised, twisting so abruptly, she nearly toppled into the water. Rachel had been doing a decent job of not outright guffawing at her friend, but with that last move the giggles erupted from her lips and she buried her face against Sam's shoulder. For his part, Sam didn't even attempt to hold back the laughter.

"I have never seen her that wasted before," he managed after a few moments. "She should do it more often. She's a hell of a lot more fun."

"You're so mean," Rachel teased, lifting her head and brushing a few loose tendrils of hair out of her eyes. "Still think we shouldn't have come?"

Sam's easy smile didn't falter. "There's still time for everything to go to hell, but so far…it hasn't been too bad."

"Wow," she replied with exaggerated awe. "For you that's like a rave review."

"Yeah, well, during those first few minutes it was pretty touch and go," he admitted, shifting in the chair but keeping his solid grip on her hand. Rachel couldn't argue. Arriving at Quinn's house for her party had reached new levels of awkward. Despite their host's perfect smile and ingratiating greeting, Rachel had felt the tension coming off her in waves when she'd pulled her into a hug.

"What about you?" he asked. "Are you having a good time?"

"Actually, I am," she said, unable to keep the corners of her lips from curving upward. "How can I not be? It's a beautiful night and I'm a great party with my friends and my boyfriend _actually _seems to be having a good time. It's like the best night ever."

To punctuate her statement, she grabbed her own half full martini glass of glowing blue liquid and raised it in a mock toast before draining it. Holding up one finger she added. "This is only my third, by the way."

Sam acknowledged that with a silent chuckle. Regarding her steadily for a moment, he said."I want to taste it."

"Seriously?" Rachel raised a brow and climbed to her feet to head to the bar. "It has a distinct _skittl_e taste to it."

"That's not what I meant," he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his lap. She only protested slightly, mindful of her hemline.

"What are you doing?" she cried, bracing her hands on his shoulders, her fingers curling into the soft black fabric of his shirt.

"I told you. I want to taste it," he said again and slipped a hand behind her head, gently tugging her closer. A split second before their lips met she understood and the insistent pressure of his tongue had her opening her mouth to him without hesitation. The noise of the party faded into the background as Rachel was caught up in the kiss. Sam tasted her thoroughly and when he finally released her, she sat for a few moments, clutching his shirt and trying to collect her thoughts.

"So, um, what do-what do you think?" she murmured, their faces still so close she could feel his breath on her lips.

"I'm not sure," he replied, running his thumb over her lips. "I think I need another taste."

Rachel's heart fluttered at the implication, but she managed to pull away. "Then I need a refill."

"I'll come with you," he offered and let her climb off his lap.

"No, I'll be okay. It's not like I will get lost," she waved a hand and glanced toward the bar. The one just inside the house was closer than the one on the other end of the pool where Santana and Puck were. "I'll probably push you in the pool if you don't do as I say."

"I'd love to see you try."

"I'll be back in a second," she promised, making a mental note of his beer of choice that evening so she could get him another one. Rachel felt the weight of Sam's steady gaze as she began to weave her way through the crowd. It was reassuring, but as the night wore on their pact of solidarity was beginning to seem foolish. Quinn had barely wasted three minutes on them upon their arrival and Rachel had only seen her sporadically outside by the pool. Whatever schemes the blond was concocting all seemed to revolve around her own enjoyment of the party rather than retribution for her supposedly stealing Q's boyfriends.

* * *

The throng at the door created a bottleneck and Rachel had to push her way through. Without her shoes, most of her classmates towered over her and she crossed the threshold praying none of them would step on her bare toes. That would be just her luck. Show up at Quinn's party obviously trying to outdo the birthday girl and get a trip to the emergency room for her troubles.

Miraculously, she made it to the makeshift bar unscathed and asked for another one of the Quinn specials and a beer. Craning her neck, she tried to catch sight of Sam back at the table, but the crowd was too thick. Hopefully, Mr. Overprotective would keep his butt in the seat. Someone jostled into her and a very familiar voice uttered an obscenity at whoever caused it before offering Rachel an immediate apology.

"Wow, Rachel. Sorry. Again. Didn't recognize you there in that…dress."

Rachel grinned and made sure the hem was covering more, rather than less of her legs. "Yeah, it's…not my usual style."

"But it looks good," Finn quickly assured her. Smirking, he added. "I'm sure Sam likes it."

"No complaints so far," she agreed and this time, she knew she was blushing. So much for the new brazen and bold Rachel Berry. The bartender plunked her drinks on the counter and he grabbed the fresh shot of vodka.

"Is that Sam over there?" Finn abruptly asked, and before Rachel could turned back around he carefully dropped one white pill that quickly disappeared within the drink.

" I don't see him Finn, are you sure it was Sam?" Rachel asked, still looking around for the blonde boy.

"Sorry must have been someone else." He sheepishly said and in a swift movement he gulped the shot of vodka.

"I really should get going, Sam will only get paranoid if I take too long." Rachel said as she grabbed both drinks.

"Why don't you finish your drink first, less chance of anything getting on your dress if your only carrying one." Finn pointed out and Rachel sat back down.

"You're probably right." the brunette stated and began to drink the blue drink...

* * *

_**And I'm ending it there! LOL So what are Quinn and Finn planning? Stay tuned for Chapter 14: Every Action Has Its Consequence, the second part of this chapter. Once again, thank you for all the reviews. They make me so happy! :) You guys are the best! Have a great week and hope you all keep enjoying ur time off from school.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**The Wonderful Mistique**_


	14. Every Action Has its Consequence

**Chapter 14: Every Action Has its Consequence**

* * *

**(The next day...)**

More than half the day was gone when Rachel finally rejoined the land of the living. Late afternoon sunlight poured through the opened window, hurting her eyes, and she groaned as she buried her face back in the pillow. Sleep had been blissful and free of dreams, but it only served to make consciousness more painful. Her head was hurting and while trying to find the missing pillow her hand came in contact with flat yet hard chest. Rachel quickly came to full alertness and sat up on the king sized bed that dominated the room with her eyes popped opened.

_What happened last night?_

Fear took a hold of her after realizing she was only in her bra and panties.

She looked around the room and to her relief she found her cell phone was on the night stand. A light blinked, telling her that either she had a missed call or text.

"Shit," she grumbled, eying the caller id but before she could call or run away, the person on the other end of the bed began to stir.

"Good morning beautiful." Finn said and did the crooked grin she used to love so much.

As she was going to speak she felt nauseous and dashed to the nearest bathroom without a word. When she finally came back, Finn Hudson was already dressed but in the process of putting his shoes.

" I can't believe I was ever in love with you." and before he could react to Rachel's statement he was slapped so hard it left a mark on his face.

"What the hell was that for?" Finn said as he rubbed his hand on his bruise, trying to soothe the pain.

"You have the nerve of asking me that? " Her voice filled with pure anger.

" I can't believe you took advantage of me. I would have never in a million years thought you would do this to me." and suddenly the tears began to come out and she couldn't stop them.

Finn gets up from his bed and just when he is about to hug her, Rachel angrily pushes him off.

"Don't fucking touch me ever again!" She yelled and soon was running down the stairs of Quinn's house.

"That's not what you said last night! You were begging for me to make you feel good." Finn said leaning on the balcony as Rachel ran to her car.

* * *

Rachel Berry closed her eyes and propped her head against her closed fist. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, she stepped out of her car. She was so nervous, not to mention scared and with good reason. For the first time in all her seventeen years, she was purposely missing school. The street was desolate and eerily quiet. Panic took a hold of her as she knocked gently on the door. In the middle of checking her nails the door opened and out popped the head of a just woken up Sam Evans. It took Sam a few seconds to fully wake up and when he did, the usually present smile was nowhere in sight. Instead, a scowl was adorning the blonde boy's face and he look ready to slam the door in her face.

"Please don't slam the door in my face." and for a fraction of a second he looks taken aback but then the glare quickly comes back and she's back to square one.

"What do _you _want?" She tensed at how cold his tone was towards her.

"Sam,we need to talk."

"Like hell we do; did Finn kick you out and that's why you're at my door?"

"Can I come in, I need you to hear me out." Sam seems to ponder this for a few seconds and wordlessly leaves the door open as he walks back inside. Taking it as a silent invitation she walks in before he changes his mind.

As soon as the door closes the tension and awkwardness between the two are painfully obvious. Rachel is sitting one side of the couch with Sam on the far end corner.

"Are you just going to sit there and not say anything, I thought you came here to talk.?" Sam finally asks and Rachel finally opens her mouth to talk.

"I did not sleep with Finn on purpose. You have got to believe me when I say that if I had been sound of mind, I would not be in this predicament."

"Then again you did kiss Puck out of spite when you were with Finn. Why should I believe you Rach, your actions speak otherwise." his eyes looking watery, it was the first time she had seen him at the verge of tears.

" Last thing I remember was having a nice conversation with Finn at the party. So how do I go from talking to sleeping with him!" a frustrated Rachel yelled out.

"You seriously don't remember anything then?" Sam asked looking into her eyes, by the looks of it she might be telling the truth.

"Well what I remember is..."

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

_ The second Rachel had stepped through the double doors into the house, Sam lost sight of her. Instinct nearly propelled him out of the deck chair immediately, but common sense prevailed. Rachel would kill him if he started treating her like something fragile in need of protection. Her promise to stick together had been for his benefit, he knew, and if he were honest, the whole idea of safety in numbers seemed utterly ridiculous at what was turning out to be a pretty tame party. So, rather than rush off to play misguided knight to a damsel who was probably not distressed, Sam took his time finishing his beer and watching his fellow classmates make drunken idiots out of themselves._

_ By the time his patience wore out – admittedly fifteen minutes later at the most – the bottle was empty and he was ready for a change of scenery. Or really, a change back to the scenery that was Rachel in that sparkly little dress. Santana and Puck still hadn't returned and everyone else had gone inside to dance, but with enough luck he and Rachel would be long gone by the time they came back. He wasn't sure how much time he was required to spend at his ex girlfriend's birthday party, but at this point he really didn't care. The desire to get Rachel out of here and continue where they left off in her room outweighed the negligible social graces he possessed._

_ Weaving his way through the increasingly intoxicated crowds toward the bar, he acknowledged a deeper motivation for leaving. The notion pricked at his conscious, had been doing so for the past few days. Something was… not wrong with Rachel per se, but different, something was definitely off. He couldn't say exactly what stood out, but ever since the football game there'd been an intensity in the way she looked at him and touched him that hadn't been there before. Although outwardly she played it cool about being at Quinn's party, she'd been keyed up all night. Whether that was for his benefit or hers, he couldn't say. If Mrs. Holliday was here she would have most likely said some nonsense about Rachel's aura being the wrong color and in need of some therapeutic shit or something else new agey and weird. Sam didn't need it defined and he really didn't want to have some deep, meaningful conversation about it. All he wanted to do was find her and take her some place she could relax...preferably with him. And if that involved no clothes and a whole lot of physical activity, he was more than happy to oblige._

_ When he finally reached the bar, Rachel wasn't there and Sam felt a stab of anxiety. Doing his best to ignore it, he scanned the humongous living room and the landing above. The sun had long since set and the space was dark. His fellow party goers were little more than shadows with few discernible features. Maneuvering his way back to the windows, he spotted Santana, Lauren and Puck hanging around the other bar at the far end of the pool, but no sign of Rachel._

_"Son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath. Praying that his instincts were wrong, he reluctantly started the visual search again, this time for his vindictive ex girlfriend, Quinn. As the seconds passed and he couldn't find the birthday girl either, his dread mounted. Resolving to search the whole house, he pushed through the crowd to the stairs. A hand on his arm stopped him._

_"Sam!" the voice was urgent, feminine and as he turned around he saw it belonged to Quinn herself. The perfectly made up blonde's eyes were wide and concerned, but she spoke so quietly he had to lean down to hear her. "You need to hurry. Rachel needs you."_

_"What are you talking about?" he demanded, immediately suspicious of Quinn suddenly being concerned about Rachel. "Why should I believe you?"_

_The blonde girl rolled her eyes and dragged him down the stairs. "Whether or not you believe me, you need to get to the back guest room and see what your girlfriend and my boyfriend are doing!"_

_"You have got to be kidding me, stop trying to cause problems between me and Rachel. I trust her and I know she would never do anything to hurt me" he groaned, mostly to himself but his legs had apparently already decided to believe Quinn's words and started down the darkened hallway. He'd rather find out he'd been punked than ignore the possibility that Rachel was cheating on him with Finn right now._

_Half running down the dark hallway, he resolved that as soon as he found Rachel, they were definitely getting the hell out of there._

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

"And then what happened?" Rachel after Sam became quiet.

"What do you think happened? When I finally found you and opened the door, there you were furiously making out with Finn!" his tone was so cold and angry, that she couldn't help but feel scared.

He apologized as soon he saw her frightened expression.

" I don't care about Finn, especially after what he did to me. I love you Sam, not him." it is then that she notices how broken he looks and does not even resemble the Sam she knows. The cute but funny in his adorkable way Sam, instead she is stuck with a depressed looking one.

" You sure have a funny way of showing it, but for some fucking reason I still love you too." Sam says and gets closer to Rachel, bringing her into a hug.

At this moment, Rachel can't help it and hugs him back as well. She knows that he's extremely mad, that's why she is unsure on telling him what she suspects might have happen to her last night.

"Sam, I've really tried remembering but I just...can't" She whispers as she starts to feel dizzy.

Sam notices and just as he was about to ask her if she was alright Rachel ends up fainting. He manages to grabs her but immediately freaks out at not knowing what's wrong with her.

He picks her up bridal style and sets her down on the couch. In a matter of seconds he is back from the bathroom with a bag of cotton balls and a bottle of rubbing alcohol and puts it close to Rachel's nose.

"Come on baby, just wake up. Your scaring me." He pleads and sure enough she begins to stir and Sam is relieved when she opens her eyes again.

"Sorry about that Sam. First, I'm throwing up and now I'm fainting! What's wrong with me?"

"Hopefully nothing is wrong Rach, because I swear to god I will make Finn unable to have any babies in the future." Sam's protective side comes out and a look into his eyes she notices the sheer determination inside them. She gulps at the realization he is serious about this threat.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say I was pregnant!" She whispers and Sam pretends to not hear it, instead he leans closer, to the point where their noses are touching.

When their lips meet, Rachel was just as surprised as Sam. She hadn't driven all the way to the Evans' house with the intention of making out with him. To say she hadn't missed this would be a complete and utter lie, but the only plan she'd formed ended when she came out of her house. Now as her mouth moved with his, returning the impromptu kiss, she decided plans were highly overrated.

Her lips were soft and angling for better access, he used his teeth on her bottom lip. She responded with a soft whimper and clutched at his shirt, grazing his stomach and making the muscles clench. He forgot to breathe, she tasted so good. He wanted more, so he teased her again, raking the soft flesh. She tightened her grip and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to him completely.

Too much distance separated them, so he dropped his hands to her waist. She was drowning in his stupid sweatshirt and he wished he wasn't wearing it. Grabbing fistfuls of the material, he twisted and dragged her closer. In response, he felt those small hands trailing up his chest, over his shoulders and threading through his hair. Deliberately, he sampled the skin along her jaw and down the smooth column of her throat. Rachel gasped and clenched her fists, her nails dragging across his scalp, making him moan.

A mutual need for air forced them to draw apart. Chest heaving as he struggled to temper his breathing, Sam watched as her heavy lidded eyes eventually found their way to his. Swallowing, he tried to speak. "Rachel -."

Her gaze dropped back to his lips and with a shake of her head, she pulled him into another scorching kiss. Fine with him. Talk was overrated, too. In the weeks since they'd started hanging out and afterward leading to a relationship with her, Sam had spent more time talking to her than he had with any other girl he'd ever known and dating her had been such a bliss. A jarring thought suddenly ambushed him and he wondered if this kiss was her way of saying it was over and she was going back to Finn. The way her tongue now met his stroke for stroke quickly shoved the doubt out of his mind.

Eventually, they had to separate or pass out from lack of oxygen. After spending a few moments catching their breath Rachel was the first to speak. "Wow."

"Yeah," he agreed, making no move to let her go. She was no longer standing on her toes and he had to dip his head to meet her eye when she got ready to speak. "I swear, that wasn't part of the plan when I came over."

"Am I complaining?" he asked, unable to keep the smile from his face.

She pretended to think about that as he deliberately licked his lips, tasting her there. Then she smirked.

"You don't seem to be."

Much to his amusement, she blushed.

"So are we good?" She asked what he had been asking himself as well.

" Yeah, we are."

" Good so I'll see you later then? Listen, Sam, I, uh, I've got to get going." she stammered lamely, her mouth suddenly dry. Releasing her grip on the sweatshirt, he reached for her hands still around her waist and gently unwound them. A lame attempt at putting distance between them. Fitting, since what she really wanted was less distance and preferably fewer clothes separating them.

He blinked and took a moment to find her voice. "Oh, um, okay. Right, it's…late. Or early," he laughed, but the light in his eyes faded and faint frown lines marred his brow.

"You're not going to back to Finn are you?" He asked while walking her car.

" No of course not, if it was up to me I would be kicking him out of Glee after what he did to me." She answered and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"So where are you going then babe?" He asked

"I uh, I am going to the doctor's today and then hopefully come back in time for Glee." Rachel looked down fiddling in her purse to find her keys.

Making up his mind he opened the passenger door and sat down. "Then I'm coming with you."

She smiled as she put on her seat belt and started the car.

"Lets go then, and Sam."

"Yeah?"

" I really don't want to get a ticket, so put your seat belt on and keep your hands to yourself." Her eyes looking straight ahead but a smile adorning her face when frowned but removed the hand that had been on her thigh a few seconds back.

* * *

Quinn Fabray eased her silver BMW convertible into a parking spot in the student lot unusually far from the William Mckinley High School's main entrance. With the top up and flanked on each side by oversized SUVs, she felt invisible and for once appreciated it. Pulling her sunglasses down her nose, she peered over the rims at the landscape that appeared at once familiar and foreign. The weight of a dozen curious eyes followed her as she sauntered through the parking lot. Lifting her chin defiantly, she ignored them all.

Clutching the straps of her bag tightly against her shoulder, she opened her locker quickly and took out the needed materials for her first period. With an evil glint in her eye and a smile she noticed that Rachel Berry and Sam Evans were nowhere to seen.

_This may or may not be bad._

"Hey, Quinn!"

One at a time, she pried her eyes open, the exuberant greeting reaching through and giving her focus. An entirely too perky brunette she vaguely remembered stood in front of her with a 1,000-watt grin. With a hand that only shook a little, she lowered her glasses and frowned. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"Of course you know me, silly," the brunette rolled her eyes and brushed her long hair over her shoulder. "But I did look a little different the last time you saw me. It's Suzy Pepper."

Quinn continued to draw a blank.

"Your partner in Spanish last semester, remember I was the one who had the stalker crush on Mr Shue!"

"Oh…oh my god!" Quinn exclaimed, removing her sunglasses completely and gaping in shock. No wonder she hadn't recognized her. The slender girl in the trendy Jimmy Choos with the lustrous hair that would make a shampoo model jealous had worn grandma glasses and clearly loving the discount racks of Sears when Quinn had last copied her answers off a Spanish test.

"Wow! You look so much better."

Suzy's grin faltered slightly under the backhanded compliment, but only for a second. "Th-thank you."

A few moments passed. Quinn raised her brows expectantly, waiting for more, but the other girl just continued to smile. "Okay, then…Bye."

Pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning on, Quinn strode purposefully down the hallway, the initial shock of seeing the inside of the school with a hangover was diluted by the strange encounter with her former Spanish partner.

"How was your birthday party?" the other girl asked in a breathless rush, falling into step beside her.

Mentally cursing Facebook, Quinn answered dryly. "Awesome."

"Wasn't it?" Suzy practically squealed. "I was there, too. I went as the date of Jackson Whittemore, captain of the lacrosse team. He is so hot and I had a blast!"

"Too bad lacrosse isn't that popular at Mckinley, then you might be popular by association" Quinn once again acted polite.

"True," she agreed, barely pausing for breath. "I wish I was popular, maybe then Mr. Shue would pay attention to me."

"He won't" Quinn declared as she reapplied her lip gloss.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know so Suzy." she replied, offering no other information as she pulled a few items from her bag and placed them on the single shelf.

"Oh. Well maybe when I'm-."

"Look, Suzy," Quinn cut her off with an icy look as her patience fizzled. "I think it's great that you went all extreme makeover on yourself. Obviously, the place you went to did its job correctly because even I had hard time recognizing you. But we're not bffs, so is there something specific that you wanted or did you just want to make small talk until my ears fall off and I bleed all over my Prada skirt?"

Most people would have crumbled under a full frontal attack of Quinn's acerbic wit, but she noted with exasperation that Suzy was either too brave or too dumb to let the harsh words burst her happy little bubble.

"You're right, of course. I'm so sorry," she apologized, rolling her eyes presumably at her own foolishness. "I just wanted to thank you."

Quinn blinked in surprise. "Thank me?"

"Being partners with you was…a challenge," Suzy confessed. "But all the scathing judgment about my hair, clothes, weight, et. was the best motivation I've ever had. I spent the past three months looking forward to this moment so I could tell you that to your face. Without you I wouldn't be the person I am today."

"O-Oh," Quinn stammered, the short speech leaving her unsure how to react. Accepting gratitude for shamming a girl – probably one who had an unstable personality to begin with – into a whirlwind transformation didn't feel right. Especially when even now she could barely remember a handful of their conversations. But Suzy was beaming so brightly Quinn could only smile in return. "You're…welcome. I think. Forget what I said about those glasses. I didn't mean…I'm sure you worked very hard during your time away."

"Pfft, are you kidding?" Suzy waved a hand. Leaning in she whispered conspiratorially. "The Swiss have _amazing _techniques. The money was totally worth it. When my mom saw the results she booked herself into the same clinic and got the works."

"Oh. Well, I've heard that…about the Swiss." Quinn agreed with a forced smile, as she looked down and went through her purse. So she really had nothing to rummage through, but she faked it anyway. There was only so much chagrin she was capable of so early in the morning.

"Oh, by the way," Suzy interrupted her own soliloquy on the miracle of liposuction and lowered her voice. _"I know"_

Quinn's heart felt like it leap to her throat, strangling her as her skin went ice cold. She knew about everything that she had done to break up Sam and Rachel! How could she know, she had been so good at covering her tracks! Eyes wide, she turned to the brunette and hissed. "What are you talking about?"

Suzy started and glanced at the other students bustling by her as if they might be of some assistance. "I'm talking about your arch nemesis finally doing the dirty with your ex-boyfriend. The whole school knows. Neither one of them had the decency to show up today and face the wrath of Quinn Fabray though."

For a moment, Quinn heard nothing but the rush of blood between her ears as she struggled to digest the words. "I-I'm sorry, what-."

"Sam and Rachel," the other girl explained, as if addressing a small child. "They finally had sex and apparently she might be prego since they were spotted at the Dalton General hospital. "

Quinn deflated as relief flowed from the top of her head to her toes in one hot, then cold wave. Suzy Whatshername didn't know about any of her failed plans. That secret was still safe as was her reputation and position within the Glee Club. Deep down she knew that they all disliked her even more then they did last year. All in good reason since once she was back on top she completely dissed them. Leaning her almost feverish head against the door to her class, she smiled faintly. At one point she had considered all of New Directions, including Rachel her friends.

_Aren't friends suppose to be people that are there for you when you're at your lowest?"_

"Quinn, are you okay?" Suzy wouldn't allow her a moment's peace. "I'm so sorry if I upset you. I thought you knew."

"Hmm? Oh! Sam and Rachel, right," Quinn rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I really couldn't care less."

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah," she scoffed, and shouldered her bag. "If Rachel got pregnant then she got what she deserved. All she's been doing lately is trying to copy me anyway."

"Still bad blood between the two of you I see."

"You have no idea" she explained casually, despite the bitter taste the words left in her mouth. Now that the euphoria of her secret still being intact had passed, reality began to sink in. Sam had sex for the first time and not with just anybody. With Rachel. How disgustingly ironic.

Without thinking, she continued. "Too bad Rachel doesn't know that I took Sam's virginity"

"Really?" Suzy asked, aiming for aloof but landing closer to desperately curious. "When?"

"After the football game." she smirked, the lies coming out of her mouth so easily and giving Suzy a wave over her shoulder as she swept into the room. Holding the plastered on smile, she ducked into the first available desk. Once again, bile churned in her empty stomach and she eyed the desk warily, wondering if she should just throw up and be done with it. Betrayal and humiliation washed over her in ever strengthening waves as the news fully registered. Why hadn't she seen this coming? Sure, she hadn't expected Sam to keep pinning for her. However, she had been so sure all it would take was one particularly skimpy bikini and her puppy eyes and she'd catch Sam's attention, dragging him away from…that thing he'd used to replace her.

But Rachel had yet again taken away another of her ex-boyfriend for good.. Quinn could lie to herself about a lot, but no amount of self delusion could make her believe that Rachel would ever give up Sam without a fight. Looks like Lima's biggest prude had finally broken out of her prudish mold.

_So Sam catches Rachel and Finn in bed just like planned and instead of breaking up with her they have sex?" _She gets furious just thinking about it.

"Oh, god," she moaned as her stomach heaved. She should have known this wouldn't be that easy.

Drawing a deep breath, she tilted her head back and stared at the bright lights, blinking back the tears. Hysterics were pointless. Only action would get results. Rachel Berry might be a pro at stealing other people's boyfriends, but she was Quinn Fabray, HBIC. Those who stood in the way of what she wanted got tire tracks up their backs for their trouble. And what she wanted right now was everything to be like it was before. That meant, Rachel or no Rachel, Sam Evans was hers.

_I never thought it would come down to this, I was so sure this last plan would work. Guess desperate times call for desperate measures._

* * *

Sam had been anxiously awaiting the results on several tests Rachel was subjected too. Twenty minutes had gone by and Rachel was still not out of the doctor's office. His hand were tapping the corner of the chair and jumped out of his seat when the double door opened and out came Rachel Berry herself with a smile on her face.

"So?" He asked as she got closer to him.

"Everything's fine! I'm neither pregnant nor was I raped by Finn." Rachel smiles brightly and a wave of relief washes over Sam.

"Come on then let get going so we'll be on time for GLEE." Sam says as he bring her close to him and they walk out of the hospital together.

* * *

As soon as they walked into the school, a lot of head turn and some even stop to stare at them. On their way to the choir room Sam spots Finn and his eyes darken in anger.

"Why don't you head to the choir room and I'll catch with you in a sec Rae." He whispers in her ear and kisses her cheek before she walks ahead.

Taking a detour, Sam walks determined and once again spots Finn who is shamelessly flirting with two sophomores that had joined Cheerios this past year. Once he arrives he pokes him in the back and when he turns Sam punches him straight on the nose and hears a crack. While blood is gushing from Finn's nose he punches him in the stomach. A crowd gather around the two boys and when Finn falls to the floor, Sam kneels down. He grabs a fist full of hair and pulls the taller jock back up.

"Never come Rachel again got it cause next time I wont go this easy on you" He whispers in his ear before walking into the choir room like nothing happened.

* * *

_**So there you have it folks! This was basically part two to chapter 13. Sorry for the long wait, I honestly took so long because I was afraid. I received such great reviews and appraisal on my last two chapters that I thought I wouldn't be able to meet everyone's expectations with this one. Hope that its at least descent. Have a great weekend! Lol Please be nice when you review! Next chapter is my own version of Comeback from Season 2. And lets just say someone from the past makes another appearance. ;) (Be on the lookout)**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**The Wonderful Mistique**_

_**P.S. : Please excuse any grammar and spelling mistakes. I spell check it and go over it more then once but then again I'm only human. :P **_

**DONT FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	15. That Was Then, This is Now

**Chapter 15: That Was Then, This is Now**

* * *

When Sam finally walks into the choir room everyone is already there minus Finn. Automatically, his eyes scan the room to find a certain brunette. When spots her, they lock eyes and she pats the seat next to her. He shakes her head and she tilts her head in confusion.

"So um, this is a song I wanted to sing for my girlfriend of three months, Rachel Berry." He makes sure to look her in the eyes and smile. As soon as she blows him a kiss, he can't help but grin at her back. He straps on his guitar and winks at her before starting to sing and play.

_**I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
**_

He's looking straight at her, taking in all her different expressions. At first she's surprised, then it morphs into happiness. He just loves the fact that he can make her feel so many different emotions in a matter of seconds.

_**You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul**_

In a way, he is kind of glad Quinn cheated on him since it finally opened his eyes. He finally saw the real Quinn and while the heartache at loosing his first girlfriend did suck, Sam was glad Rachel had been there. Both previously had suffered from a broken heart but they managed to find each other along the way. Since they got together, he's the happiest he has ever been in all sixteen years of his life.

_**I know that you are something special  
To you I'd be always faithful  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me  
**_

She jumps out of her seat and hugs him while Puck takes over and plays the guitar instead. Sam doesn't stop singing but he simply puts his arm around her. Closing her eyes, Rachel dropped all her defenses and allowed herself a moment of complete vulnerability as she melted against him. So far he's been the best boyfriend she's ever had. Hopefully, Sam will be her last boyfriend since she could definitely picture them living in New York and with kids.

_**I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul**_

_**You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul**_

There's not a doubt in his mind that Rachel Berry is the one for him. While Puck and the rest of the guys would call him a pussy and gay for even thinking it, he can't bring himself to care. At the end of the day he has a loving girlfriend, great friends and good health... what more could he ask for?

_**Your beautiful soul, yeah You might need time to think it over But I'm just fine moving forward I'll ease your mind If you give me the chance I will never make you cry c`mon lets try  
**_

He smiles at the fact that Rachel is still hugging him tight. She finally looks up and he gives her a peck on the lips before he resumes singing. In the background he hears snickers, most likely coming from the guys and giggles coming from the girls.

_**I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
**_

Not caring that the rest of New Directions is watching, they just randomly begin dancing. He twirls her around and dips her. When it comes do dancing he may not be in the same level as Mike Chang, but at least he can hold his ground. And maybe a part of him is glad that Finn sucks at dancing and that he's better at it. Soon enough everyone pairs up and are dancing around too. Mr. Shue just smiles and looks at his kids but after a quick head count, he realizes Finn and Quinn are missing.

_**You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
**_

" Look at them so happy, it makes me sick to my stomach." an indignant Quinn said from outside the choir room.

" I know the feeling, but what more can we do Q? Everything we've done has failed! I don't think it's worth it anymore." Finn said with a gauze on hi nose, so it was hard to understand him because his nose had not stop bleeding.

" If I can't be happy then neither can they, I'll make sure of it." Quinn said and stopped looking.

_It's time to make a phone call to a certain someone._

_**Am I crazy for wanting you  
Baby do you think you could want me too  
I don't wanna waste your time  
**_

"Who would have thought Sam and Rachel would end up dating?" Tina questioned with a smile on her face.

" It shouldn't come as much of a shock T. We're known for constantly switching boyfriends and girlfriends. Not too long ago you were with Artie and I had a fling with Puck." Mercedes answered and shuddered at the thought of being in a relationship with last year's Puck. He may have changed this year but she can still remember the way he acted last year.

"But deep down we all care about each other though, that's something that Karofsky and all the other bullies can't take away from us."

"All of us?" Mercedes asked in disbelief, clearly referring to Quinn and Finn. These days , those two are way over their heads. While alternating between dancing with Puck, she can't help but still think that maybe one day they can all be friends and all this fighting of the exes can finally stop.

_**Do you see things the way I do  
I just wanna know if you feel it too  
There is nothing left to hide**_

**_I don't want another pretty face_**  
**_I don't want just anyone to hold_**  
**_I don't want my love to go to waste_**  
**_I want you and your beautiful soul_**

_**You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul**_

**_You beautiful soul, yeah_**

"No matter what, we're in this for the long run baby." Sam said quietly. Rachel craned her neck to meet his eye and found him incredibly near. So close, in fact, that she could feel his breath fan against her lips. "You know that, right?"

A few months shy of seventeen, most adults would have said he was too young to make that kind of promise, but she knew better. Smiling, she murmured. "I love you."

"Good answer," he replied with a grin that disappeared as their lips met. Rachel sighed with contentment, her fingertips dancing delicately over his jaw. Sam knew a thousand different ways to kiss her and every one had her aching for more. At the moment, he went for slow and deliberate, coaxing her lips apart one millimeter at a time. His hand settled at her waist, clutching her tightly as he managed to pull her even tighter against him.

Because of their very public location, Rachel was determined to reign in the passion between them that was always simmering just below the surface, waiting for the slightest excuse to boil over.

"There you go again. Distracting me," she said between kisses.

"You're welcome," he said absently, sinking his teeth into her swollen bottom lip.

"Sam!" Rachel squealed in surprise. Placing her hand on his chest, she laughed as she delayed his advances. "We're with people right now!."

"So?" he challenged, his hand dropping lower to squeeze her hip. "They might not mind. Who knows? They could all be into some kinky shit. I know Puckerman does"

He was teasing her, but underneath lurked the promise that he was game for whatever she'd allow. There were very few people on the planet who's opinion mattered to Sam and only one of them was in the in his arms right now. Rachel kissed him again, her lips parting and granting the access he'd been after. As her pulse began to race, she wondered with amused horror what would happen if Sam knew how easily he could get her to do anything he wanted.

"You two seriously need to move out of this honeymoon phase before I just throw up all over you," Noah Puckerman's indignant snort of disgust cut through the lust fueled haze. Flushing a brilliant shade of red this time, Rachel pulled away from Sam and brought a hand to her bruised lips. Puck was eyeing them with mock disapproval as he bit back a smirk. Standing just behind him, rolling their eyes at the entire exchange, Lauren Sizes and Santana Lopez, who were surprisingly becoming good friends themselves were waiting patiently for all of them to walk together outside of the choir room.

"Oh goodie," Sam said dryly, his attention still focused on Rachel. "The gang's all here."

"Honestly, it's annoying," Noah continued, glaring at Sam. "Nobody is supposed to be that happy."

"Don't worry. I'm over it now," Rachel promised, glowering in the brunette's general direction while winking at Puck. "You seem to have that effect on me."

"Ew," Lauren wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I don't want my boyfriend to have any effect on you."

"Okay, then I'll just start pretending he doesn't exist," she shrugged and turned his attention back to Sam, gaze dropping to his lips as he leaned closer. "Now where were we?"

"So why are you guys here again?" Rachel laughed and eluded Sam's advance as she managed to rise gracefully to her feet despite her heels.

"We miss you," Santana greeted with a genuine smile, shaking her hair out of her eyes. Glancing around, she took a deep breath.

"Seriously though, you two spend too much time together and not enough with the rest of your friends." and by the looks of it, they do feel left out.

"Come here then, we all need a group hug!" Sam said and motioned for the whole group to get closer.

* * *

"Okay, class," Holly Holiday, now their substitute for English class and last class of the day. She resumed writing on the board, printing _The Scarlet Letter _ in her cursive writing and underlining it once.

"In Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece, Hester Prynne cheats on her husband, and her town forces forces her to her to wear a big, red, shameful A on her chest as a reminder of what she's done." Mrs. Holiday turned from the board and looked around the classroom, noticing for the first time that everyone was being unusually quiet.

"So can anyone think of other stories that have the same falling from grace theme? About people who are ridiculed or cast out for their mistakes?" Mrs. Holiday turned to one of the rows and noticed Quinn for the first time. "Quinn? How about you? Thoughts?"

Quinn paused. Her life was a good example. Not too long ago she had been president of the celibacy club, ruled the school as Queen Bee and her family had been living harmoniously. But all it took was one drunken night with Puck to have it all crumble down. Everything she had worked so hard for, gone , just like that. She can still remember how she was kicked out of her house and was forced to give up cheer leading. It took a lot of hard work to get a lot those things back.

"Quinn?" Mrs. Holiday asked, irritated that she was obviously unresponsive. " Got any ideas in that blonde head of yours?"

Surprisingly, Brittany came to Quinn's rescue. "What about Adam and Eve and that snake? Lord Tubington loves that story."

"Good job Brit." the substitute said, clearly surprised at the girl being right for once.

"Any other ideas?" She asked and the next hand up belonged to Rachel Berry, who was sitting in the desk next to Quinn's.

"How about the book were two girls pretend to be friends, but then one of the girls tries to steal the other's boyfriend by kissing him during a football game and ends ups with no real friends in the process?"

Holly scratched her head. " I'm sorry... I don't think I've read that book."

Quinn clenched her fists. _So, she wants to play that game then?_

"Oh please, Sam fell in love with me first. Feelings like that don't go away so easily. Has he told you that he let me keep the promise ring?"

"Well Noah gave up football for me!" Rachel said, now facing Quinn.

Quinn's shoulders became rigid. "Someone's a little self-centered," the blonde said seemingly unfazed; " you guys only dated for a week, giving up football was not a selfless act on Puck's part. My best guess is that he wanted to get in your pants."

While the girls kept on arguing, Mrs. Holliday just looked completely lost but softly whispered, "What's with those two?"

"They've hated each other since kinder, and as of sophomore year Quinn has been on a rampage because of Rachel dating all of her exes ." Mike casually explained since he happened to be closer to the teacher.

"But guess what RuPaul, I was Sam's first in _everything_ and you can't erase that. Just like you can't erase the fact you will always be second best to me, to Santana and to every other girl!" Quinn yelled and before things got out of control, Mrs. Holliday spoke up.

"Okay, enough of that," Holly said, putting copies of **_The Scarlet Letter_** at the front of each row to pass back, " I want everyone to read chapters one through five this week, and you have a three -page essay on any themes you see due Friday. Okay?"

Everyone groaned while they put away their stuff. Classical music tinkled through the loudspeaker, indicating the period was over. Rachel wordlessly stuffed the book in her purse and shot up from her seat as if it were on fire.

"_And my mom called me crazy for telling her I didn't want kids" _Holly thought as she cleaned out the board.

* * *

"Okay I'm here, what's the big emergency?" a distraught Sam asked as he made it inside Rachel's house with the spare key she gave him. A few minutes ago he had been sitting on his bed watching Avatar when he received a text from Rachel telling him to come to her house **ASAP. **Worried that something could possibly be seriously wrong, he told his parents a friend needed him and that he'd come back later. Thanking god for not getting pulled over, he made it to her house under ten minutes, which should have been a half hour drive.

He was not surprised that the lights were off but was feeling scared at finding it very quiet. He ran upstairs and was taken aback when he saw Rachel, her back to him wearing a khaki trench coat.

"Hello Samuel, so nice of you to finally join me."Of course, Rachel had turned, surprising him so much that he literally froze and when she slicked around to face him, he realized she'd just perfected her masterpiece. She allowed the trench coat to fall down to the floor and when he looked up, his mouth fell open. The barely-there lingerie set practically glowed in the dark against her skin. Since he had come to Lima, he had seen his fair share of girls with exposed flesh, but with her hair down and those ridiculous heels that screamed _**fuck me now**_, his girlfriend blew them all away. Possessive on a good day, just knowing that she had been so close to having sex with Jesse and Finn made him want to start throwing punchesatthose two idiots thinking about her in _**that **_way.

_He certainly did not want them to stare at her in that way anymore._

"What are you wearing?" he demanded when he was finally able to form a full sentence, the question much harsher than he intended as he struggled with a suddenly fragile self-control.

Rachel smiled, slow and satisfied. Backing up, she held out her arms and spun around, amazingly steady. "It's part of my plan. You like?"

Oh, hell _yes,_he thought, holding back a groan, his brain slowly but surely catching up with the instant reaction of his body. What he'd _like _was to drag her to the bed and do away with everything save the heels, but he settled for roughly pulling her back to him. Rachel giggled and crashed into his chest. "I like."

"I can tell," she said, the satisfied grin never leaving her face as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her lithe body flush against his. His growing arousal was impossible to hide now. Not that he wanted to. Barely three minutes with Rachel and he'd practically forgotten his own name.

Wanting to hang on to that feeling of blissful ignorance, Sam kissed her gently and cautiously. Rachel responded with an intensity that had him moaning into her mouth. Small hands crept beneath his shirt and clutched tightly at his sides. Her nails dug into his skin, prompting him to deepen the kiss. This could be it, tonight might be the night where they finally make love for the first time. As horny as he was, he was not going to call it sex or fucking, they were both in love and it would mean that much more then some meaningless hookup. But god, he needed to have her naked and pliant beneath him in the next five minutes or he might explode.

"Bed. Now." he murmured, his lips brushing hers. Rachel shook her head, the sound of her ragged breathing somehow louder and sharper than the sound of the cars outside. Those devilish fingers tugged at the hem of his shirt.

"You're overdressed," she stated with a determined gleam in her eye and stripped the white Henley up and over his head before he could form a response. Her lips were warm where they pressed against his now bare chest and her fingers trailed liquid fire as they drew lazy circles down his spine.

"Rachel, this…this is…," he caught his breath in a sharp hiss as she dragged her nails back up his back and pulled him into another scorching kiss. Without time to catch a breath he was dizzy by the time she released him.

Batting her eyes innocently, she asked. "This is what?"

Finally, he realized she was playing with him, teasing him the way he liked to tease her. Determined to get the upper hand, he backed her up a few steps so she was trapped between him and the wall of her room. Dropping his gaze to her lips he traced the line of her mouth with a finger. "This is dangerous, your dads could get back and find us like _this_."

Rachel grinned and nipped at his finger. "I know."

"Rachel-."

"Shhhh," she insisted, pressing a finger to his lips for emphasis. A mischievous grin juxtaposed with fiery passion was burning in her eyes. Sam was mesmerized. "This is all part of the plan."

"Tell me the rest," he demanded impatiently as the lust and passion combined made it exceedingly difficult to form coherent thoughts. Bracing his forearm above her head, he boldly cupped her breast, dragging his thumb over the fabric across the tight nipple. Her startled gasp made him grin in triumph. Two could play this game of sexual torture.

"It'd be more fun if I just showed you," Rachel retorted, her eyes flashing fire as she deftly slipped her small hand between them and slid it down the front of his jeans. Cupping him with a possessiveness that nearly pushed him over the edge right there, she giggled at his curse and kissed the base of his throat.

"Jesus, Rachel, I thought you were a virgin" Sam panted and leaned more heavily into her as his legs threatened to turn to jello.

"Just because I am doesn't mean I am inexperienced in _other_ departments."Beneath his hand on her chest, her heart raced, belying some of her bravado. Part of him felt like he should put a stop to the game before it passed the point of no return, but the rest of him was so turned on he could barely think.

Sam stood there panting for breath while Rachel continued to tease his growing erection. The proximity of their bodies and the potential of getting caught helped him snag the last threads of his nobility and he tried one final plea. "Seriously, don't tease me like this… we need to get to the bed fast or I'm going to…"

"You're going to what?" she whispered directly into his ear, her breath hot and insistent against his skin. Every word dripped with unmistakable challenge. In one fluid motion, Sam picked her up and spun them both toward the bed. The surprised squeal coming from Rachel made him that much more turned on.

Capturing both her wrists, Sam pinned them above Rachel's head and used his body to hold her still. With her legs parted to cradle him intimately, nothing but a few scant layers of clothing separated them. There was enough light coming from the moon to make out her features and he couldn't resist dragging another kiss from those perfect lips. "I'm going to lose control."

"_That's _the plan," she murmured, glancing down at his lips almost demurely. In that moment he thought he caught a glimpse of the Rachel he knew, the one who always seemed surprised at how utterly she wrecked him, but the moment passed. The second she lifted those deep brown eyes to meet his, the only thing he questioned was whether or not she was wasted or stone cold sober. "You don't have to be careful with me. Not tonight."

Here she paused and licked her swollen lips. Sam swore in that surreal moment he could hear the rasp of her pink tongue over the abused flesh. A Cheshire smile curved her lips, like they'd arrived at the final play and the ball was completely in her court. "Stop protecting me from your big, bad self. I'm not a doll. You're not gonna break me. Come on, Sam. Corrupt me."

At that dangerously simple request, Sam's tenuous grasp on self-control shattered. Had he been thinking more with his other head maybe, _maybe, _he could have played the chivalrous white knight and saved the maiden's virtue, but with the crushing stress they were both in, the invitation was too seductive to refuse.

Still pinning her hands to the lux white cushions, Sam's mouth crashed down on Rachel's hard enough to bruise. Later they could argue over who won or lost. At that moment he couldn't think beyond the euphoria of abandoning all pretense of control. Instinct took over and while he devoured her, he wasted no time in pushing black bra out of the way to expose her breasts to the cooling night air. He swallowed her strangled cry of pleasure as she broke out in goosebumps and she arched sharply into him. He continued to tease the sensitive flesh until she was writhing beneath him, tugging on her trapped hands so hard he almost lost his grip.

"Let me go," she demanded in a broken whisper.

"Why?" he growled, the single word all he could manage. Once again, she'd hooked her leg around his, deliberately grinding her heated core against his raging hard-on and dragging her stiletto heel up the back of his leg.

"I want to touch you," Rachel's answer was a broken gasp as Sam slipped his hand between her thighs, cupping her boldly. Each word was a hard fought battle as he pushed aside the miniscule slip of white fabric and easily slid one finger, than another into her welcoming, wet center. "Please, Sam. No more games. I just…I want…you."

Apparently, there was no end to the ways she could undo him. Releasing her wrists with a groan of surrender, he braced his forearm against the cushions to hold himself steady while Rachel immediately speared her fingers through his hair and pulled him into another kiss. Lost in the tantalizing depths of her mouth, he didn't notice her hands as they worked down his body until she reached the button fly of his jeans. Without hesitation, she made quick work of his zipper and boxers, pushing down only as far as she needed to wrap her hand around the bare, rigid length of him. The sensation was such exquisite torture he almost came on the spot.

What happened next was a fevered blur, a scramble of hands, and then finally he was inside her. At first the relief of the moment was more than either could stand and they froze, foreheads touching, mouths so close they breathed the same air. Then the heady combination of lust and passion slammed against their bruised and battered psyches. Sam gripped her upper thigh, pulling Rachel closer and muffled her cry of passion with his mouth. Her nails dug into his muscled shoulders as they quickly found a familiar rhythm. Neither one lasted long, their senses heightened by the knowledge that any second they could get caught, but Sam didn't care. Because in that moment he believed definitively that whatever else got shot to hell, Rachel would be there. Nothing could tear them apart.

"Wow, that was amazing." Rachel whispered as she layed on Sam's chest while he played with her hair.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam said and as he laughed and Rachel felt the vibrations.

Before they could get too comfortable they heard the sound of a car's alarm.

"Crap! My daddies are here." She immediately jumped out of bed and and ran to her closet to change into a pair of pj that looked too cute and innocent for her.

"What are you still doing in bed, hurry up and get dressed before they kill you for taking their daughter's virginity."

" You weren't complaining a few seconds ago." Sam smirked as he picked up his clothes and got dressed.

"Love you babe." He kissed her one more time before he climbing down through her window.

"Text me when you get home." She whispered to him and was finally able to breathe once Sam was on the grass and running before they got caught.

Rachel quickly turned off the lights and got under the covers as soon as footsteps were heard downstairs.

"Look at her, she's already sleeping peacefully. We sure got lucky Hiram. She's the perfect daughter" Leroy told his partner while Rachel pretended to be fast asleep.

_That was a close one!_

* * *

_**There you have it folks! Chapter 15 is done and like always, I sincerely hope that you all enjoy it.**_

_**So what are your thoughts on it? Let me know by reviewing! **_

_**Oh, and almost forgot, I have no intention of making Rachel pregnant.**_

_**Personally, I don't like reading stories where Rachel is impregnated by Sam.**_

_**This is because it reminds me too much of what has already happened on the show with Quinn.**_

_**Next chapter will most likely deal with my own version of Sexy and maybe even Original Song.**_

_**As far as I know, there is still no endgame yet for this story. **_

_**Hopefully, their will be more Curious Case to come!**_

_**Also, don't think I forgot about someone from the past making an appearance. **_

_**Anyone could come back but here is a small spoiler...**_

_**The person or people that are MOST likely to make an appearance on **_

_**The Curious Case of Rachel Berry are:**_

_**(in no particular order...)**_

_**A.) Sunshine Corazon**_

_**B.) Jesse St. James**_

_**C.) Shelby and Beth**_

_**D.) All of the above**_

_**So stay tuned, you may be surprised. ;)**_


	16. Surface Tension

**Chapter 16: Surface Tension**

* * *

_He is enveloped in complete darkness in nothing but his underwear. The more he walks the more he realizes that the path he is on appears to be never ending. There is no light what so ever and he is starting to panic. As if sensing his distress, a light suddenly appears and after a closer look, all of the auditorium is visible. He almost screams like a little girl when he spots someone on stage and a pair of hands force him to sit down on one of the countless empty seats. For a few seconds Sam is blinded by an immense white light. He swears that he is going crazy when he sees Finn on stage with a stupid smirk on his face. What the hell is going on, and more importantly, why is he dreaming about Finn. Because this has to be a dream. Scratch that, this has to be a nightmare because so far none of what's going on is making sense. Rachel soon joins the fucking douche onstage but where did Rachel come from and what is she wearing? This better be a dream, because right now all he sees is Rachel and Finn on stage. Their dancing together and looking at each other like they are the only people in the room. Not only that but he is not liking the way Finn is touching her. That's it! He is gonna march over there, grab his girl and get the hell out of here._

_Okay. So this is not what he was expecting. He opens up his mouth to tell Finn to fuck off but instead he is pushed to the side while Finn gropes Rachel's ass And he's still in his underwear! He tries to grab Rachel and succeeds. He hugs her but somehow as he's about to kiss her, she pulls away and runs back to Finn. That. Fucking. Prick. As each second goes by, he's getting more and more mad. This has to be a dream because in reality, Rachel would not be acting this way and he would at least be covering herself! Rachel Berry would be dancing around in her underwear with Finn, who has broken her heart multiple times_

_As if things could not get any worse, now Quinn is thrown into the mix! She starts chasing him and all he can do is try to run away. Somehow, Quinn corners him and she gets closer and closer and suddenly she is trying to touch him in places she shouldn't. Dream or not, he is not letting her anywhere near his lips or other parts of his body again. He's trying to get away from the crazy blonde __when he trips and falls._

"_I won dude," Finn smirks and points at both of the girls in his arms._

"_Back off man, Rachel is my girlfriend, not yours."He says as he stands up with his fists clenched._

"_I'm sorry Sam, I really tried to love you back but sleeping with you prove to me that I wasn't over Finn. He is my true soul mate." _

"_No! Stop lying Rach, I know you love me." Both Finn and Quinn just start laughing and Rachel looks at him with a sad smile._

"_It's called acting Sammy boy. Guess you just weren't good enough for either of us" Quinn said and kisses Finn's cheek. Then Quinn grabs Finn's hand and the two disappear, leaving Rachel behind._

"_I really am sorry about all this Sam, I did not want to hurt you." She whispers in his ear before giving him one final kiss as she too disappears._

"_Rachel!" He screams._

* * *

Sam's alarm went off after what felt like mere seconds that his head had hit the pillow. He wakes up all frazzled and notices he's covered in sweat. Unable to handle the heat, he quickly throws back the sheets that had gotten stuck to his chest. The horizon glowed with the first faint traces of sunrise, but the house was still dark and quiet. Muttering a few unintelligible curses, he groped for his cell phone on the night stand and silenced the shrill beeping. For a few seconds, he rubbed his eyes, making sure he was awake now and not having another crazy dream and then goes into the bathroom to take his morning shower.

As the water cascades down his body, he still can't shake up that fucking dream. Last night had been amazing. Just being able to touch Rachel in all those places and he was finally able to loose his virginity to the girl he is madly in love with, nothing can beat that. But what if she isn't being completely truthful and she only slept with him to prove a point. Maybe they rushed into it and weren't ready? Who knows, but one thing he knows for sure is that they at least need to talk about this.

* * *

Her routine had started out as usual. She woke up at 6:00AM, went on the elliptical for half an hour and drank her protein shake shortly after. By 7:30, she was stepping out of the bathroom after taking a shower and was currently browsing through her closet. Ever since the party at Noah's, her style and choices in clothing had been altered. Thinking it was time to grow up, she had whole heartily donated all her animal sweaters to the local Goodwill. But she'll never get rid of her skirts and knee high socks! Kurt and Mercedes, two of her closest friends seem to agree on the fact that she wouldn't be Rachel Berry without those two things. After a careful deliberation, she had finally chosen what to wear. Today she decided to go with a cropped white top with a star on it, a black ruffle skirt and to tie it all in, her newly acquired knee high black boots. She wanted to look sexy and hopefully this outfit will prove her point. Now the only thing worrying her is the thought of Sam not liking this particular choice in clothing since its out of the normal for her.

As soon as she thought of Sam, a smile crept up on her lips that would not be leaving any time soon. As a result, thinking of Sam made her relieve the events of last night.

"I can't wait to do it again!" She exclaimed giddily while twirling in front of the mirror in her outfit.

All those touches and kisses would be unforgettable. She can't help but feel relieved that nothing remotely sexual happened with Jesse or Finn. Now she understands that things do happen for a reason because in her heart she knows that Samuel Evans is and always will be the only man she wants to be intimate with. Inadvertently, the argument she had with Quinn during AP English finally opened her eyes. Rachel realized that she was finally ready to take the next step with Sam because unlike her previous boyfriends, she is 100% sure that he won't hurt her. Of course she won't sit here and say that last night was the way she envisioned her first time to be, that would be a lie. But she is the type of person to look at things positively and she would not change anything, given the chance since it all lead her to Sam. Besides Noah, her other ex-boyfriends did not treat her the way she is supposed to be treated. Jesse played with her emotions while Finn continuously lead her on and broke her heart. She sure is better off without Finn and Jesse in her life, since now she has true friends and is happy! With Sam, things come easily. She never has to worry about him not liking how she looks. He's not someone that likes the superficial.

She rushes out of her room when she looks at the clock and sees that it's 7:50AM. Which leaves her with less then five minutes before Sam is here to pick her up. Before walking out of the house, she ends up finding a note from her dads taped to the front door.

_Sorry we missed you this morning baby girl._

_We had to leave to an emergency meeting in Cincinnati but we'll be back in time for dinner._

_Just so you know, we talked to Sam's parents and they will be joining us for dinner._

_Have a fun at school hon._

_With love,_

_your Dads_

Once she's outside, its only a matter of seconds before she hears that familiar honk, Sure enough she notices Sam's car coming around the corner and she runs to the end of the driveway to meet him there. She's beyond happy today but it all leaves once Sam blurts out that dreadful phrase.

"We really need to talk."

* * *

"This better be good Jewfro because I do not come to school at 6:00 am!" an irritated Quinn said as soon as the two were inside the computer lab.

She had previously been enjoying her beauty sleep but was then abruptly woken up by the shrill sound of her phone ringing. After a 30 second phone call, Jacob told her to come to the school immediately.

"I have something that you might want to see my queen" Jacob Ben Israel said from one of the school's computers.

Quinn strutted the short distance from the door to the computer that Jacob was at. She wasted no time in looking at the screen. The former head cheerleader almost went ballistic at the pictures her minion took. The farther she went, the less clothes Sam and Rachel seemed to be wearing.

"I took all these last night when I was spying on my soon to be wife, Rachel Berry." Jacob answered the unasked question with a dreamy voice. The creep obviously enjoyed seeing in little clothing.

"Do you know if they had sex?" She asked in a tight and controlled voice.

" As much as I would have wanted to stay longer, my mother called me for my daily bubble bath. So to answer your question Ice Queen, I don't know if they went all the way." Jacob answered and immediately looked down after seeing Quinn's glare.

"Why can't you do anything right! Geesh, I have to do everything for myself if I want to see some results." The blonde girl took out a USB chord from her bag and plugged it to the computer from one side and then to her Iphone on the other end. A message soon appeared on the screen of her phone and in a matter of seconds she had all the pictures saved in her phone.

"At least you were good enough to give me ammunition for Trouty Mouth and Treasure Trail." She venomously spat and walked out the door to the still empty halls.

* * *

The ride to the school was quiet and awkward. The tension in Sam's car could probably be cut with a knife.

"Okay we're at the school now. So if your going to break up with me do it quickly please." Rachel pleaded, the tears ready to start running down her cheeks.

"Is that what you think I'm going to do? For such a smart person, you sure missed the target by a long shot Rach!" an obviously shocked Sam muttered.

Rachel remained quiet for a couple of seconds and then she whispered, almost inaudibly. "Well if the sex was bad, why wouldn't you dump me. You were like a pro last night and I was probably not up to your standards."

At that statement, Sam was both angry and flattered at the same time.

"Look at me please." He pleaded and when she didn't budge, Sam turned her head so he was seeing her beautiful face.

"Thanks for the compliment babe but I was virgin last night too. I don't know about you but last night was incredible. I still very much want to keep being your boyfriend." He smiled and leaned down to give her a peck on the lips.

"Then why did you scared me by telling me we needed to talk? You never say that to your girlfriend since it usually means you want to break up!" the brunette exclaimed and punched him on his arm.

"I wanted to ask you if you had sex with me because you were ready or was it to prove a point to Quinn. I just don't want you to regret last night or any other time in the future." Sam said as he got out of the car and rubbed his arm. For such a small girl, she sure punched hard.

She hugged him when she was by his side again and then whispered in his ear, " I did it because I wanted to."

He couldn't help but smile, knowing how deep their love for each other runs.

"Sam, wait," Rachel said as she followed him to the front of the school. Rising on her toes to frame his face, she pressed her lips to his before he opened the door of the school. Eyes widening briefly with surprise, he happily returned the kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked a breathless moment later.

Rachel shrugged as she backed away, discreetly licking her lips. Brown eyes flashing with mischief, she grinned. "To thank you for being so amazing. And because I can."

Turning on her heel, she disappeared before he could form a response, and that's when he finally noticed what she was wearing. An idiotic grin curved his lips and he made his way down the hallway slowly. Her friends would pounce on him with never ending questions and never let him hear the end of it if they saw him so happy. But now that things were good again, he was beyond ecstatic.

* * *

"I hope you are all prepared to sing a song that reflects this week's theme of being and feeling _sexy._" Mr. Shue said as soon as they were all seated. Their Glee instructor soon pulls out a hat and drops pieces of paper into it. He shook it up for a bit and then proceeded to pull out a piece of paper.

"First up is... Rachel Berry" Will Shuester announced and then sat down.

Rachel quickly stood up and eagerly grabbed the microphone.

_**[Verse 1]  
Lately I been stuck imaginin'  
What I wanna do and what I really think,  
time to flow out  
**_

Sam barely recognized her, not that its bad thing though. She seemed so sure of herself. Rachel was confident up there. He had always thought that she was sexy but today at least she finally felt it too. The only thing he doesn't like is her clothing. While he doesn't mind Rachel wearing those clothes for _him_, he can't help but go all caveman at the thought of other guys checking her out.

_**Be a little inappropriate  
'Cause I know that everybody's thinking it  
when the lights out**_  
_**Shame on me  
To need release  
Uncontrollably**_

He almost ready to burst out laughing because he just looked at Mr. Shue right now. Poor guy looks so uncomfortable. Sam realizes that his Spanish teacher is probably not a fan of Britney Spears. Neither was Sam but after today, he is Britney Spear's number one fan. If it wasn't for her, he'd wouldn't have gotten to see Rachel looking so dam hot and irresistible. He quickly realizes that he needs to calm down because he is in the choir room with other people and he doesn't need everyone to see him getting a boner.

_[__**Chorus:]  
I wanna go all the way  
Taking out my freak tonight  
I wanna show  
All the dirt  
I got running you through my mind**_

_**I wanna go all the way  
Taking out my freak tonight  
I wanna show  
All the dirt  
I got running through my mind**_  
_**Whoa**_

"Where did Berry learn to move like that?" Puck asks and Sam just shrugs. He thinks that's the end of the conversation but before Rachel goes into the next verse, the Mohawk teen talks again.

"You better take good care of my Hot Jewish American Princess or else I'll crush your balls and feed them to the dogs at the pound." Puck says and at first, Sam gets a bit jealous and angry that his best friend might be still have some left over feelings towards _his_ girlfriend.

_**[Verse 2]  
Lately people got me all tied up  
There's a countdown waiting for me to erupt  
Time to blow out  
I've been told who I should do it with  
To keep both my hands above the blanket  
When the lights out**_

_**Shame on me  
To need release  
Uncontrollably**_

Sam immediately feels so fucking stupid afterward because Rachel and Puck will never get back together. They may have dated for a bit when he wasn't here but that shit is in the past. He is with Rachel now and hopefully he'll be the last one to be with her. Plus, now that he thinks about it, they act more like brother and sister when their around him!

_**[Chorus ]  
I wanna go all the way  
Taking out my freak tonight  
I wanna show  
All the dirt  
I got you running through my mind**_  
_**Shame on me (shame on me)  
To need release (to need release)  
Uncontrollably (uncontrollably)**_

Rachel can't help but look at Sam every once and a while. Throughout the song she has sent him countless winks and smirks in his direction. She has noticed that the rest of New Directions is paying more attention to them then usual. As she sings she hopes that it is not too obvious that she's not a virgin anymore.

_**[Chorus:]  
I wanna go, all the way  
Taking out my freak tonight  
I wanna show  
All the dirt  
I got you running through my mind**_

As the end of the song approaches she makes her way to Sam and sings right in front of him. One look into his eyes and it is apparent to her that they are both thinking of last night. He grabs her from the waist and she ends up sitting on his lap and continues to sing the song feeling sexier then she has felt before. Not once has she looked at Quinn and Finn, and after her talk with Sam in the morning, she just doesn't care anymore. Truthfully, she cares more about her friends and relationship with Sam then of the stupid competition she seems to have with Quinn Fabray.

_**I wanna go all the way  
Taking out my freak tonight  
I wanna show  
All the dirt  
I got you running through my mind**_

Sam is the first to hug her and even whispers in her ear that she rocked that song and looked so dam sexy. Not too long after that he asks her if they can celebrate tonight. With reddening cheeks of embarrassment, he tells her that tonight they will both be at the family dinner.

" Can you blame for wanting you so much Rae?"She blushes at the compliment and soon enough the rest of her friends envelop her in a group hug.

* * *

"Oh, ew." Rachel Berry wrinkled her nose as Noah Puckerman, her almost brother, dipped a piece of bread into a ceramic cauldron of molten Swiss cheese. He swirled the bread around the bowl, pulled it out, and licked up a long, gooey string of cheese that hung off the fork.

"Maybe I should rethink inviting you to the family dinner. Why do you have to turn everything into a sexual act?"

Puck smirked at her and kept making out with the bread, knowing it would annoy the hell out of Rachel. She couldn't help but shuddered. While they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive, Hiram Berry, one of Rachel's dads, had decided to treat the two teens to some homemade cheese fondue with the fondue set he'd found in the basement under some boxes of Halloween ornaments and Rachel's old Barbie house.

Puck eyed his mom's bottle of Heineken. "You sure I can't have one little sip?"

"No," She answered. "For the third time."

Puck frowned. "I've had beer before, you know."

"Not in this house." She glared at him.

"Why do you want beer so badly?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Is Noah nervous about his date with Lauren tonight?" She said in a baby voice.

"It's not a date." Noah Puckerman pulled his Burton snowboard beanie lower down on his forehead. "We're just going out to see if we'd be compatible with each other."

Rachel smiled knowingly. Amazingly, her friend Lauren Sizes had finally taking pity on Noah and the are going on a date! Hopefully it works out between those two.

"Well, I need to go get ready for this dinner, see you in an hour or two." Chuckles were heard from downstairs, but what her dads and Noah did not realize was it will probably take around that amount of time, if not more.

* * *

An hour and forty five minutes later, the table had been set and now the only ones missing were the Evans. Just as Rachel was walking down the stairs in her new purple dress, the doorbell rang and she ran with her high heels already on to get to it first.

"So nice of you to grace us with your presence, Mr. and Mrs Evans." Rachel politely said as she opened the door for her house guests to come in. She waits by the door patiently until finally a few seconds behind, in walks her boyfriend. Noticing both sets of parents and the Puckermans, she gives him a kiss on the cheek and he hugs her tight. The duo manage to sit by each other and while talking to everyone, their hands remain intertwined underneath the table.

Just as Noah was telling an embarrassing story about them when they were kids, she hears a light knock on the door. She excuses herself momentarily and goes to see who it might be.

Once she opens the door, her immature side is ready to come out and slam the door in the person's face. Rachel manages to control her anger and carefully asks "What are you doing here?"

"What happened to calling me mom?" Shelby Corcoran said and smiled at her eldest daughter.

Before Rachel could say anything else her parents yell "Who's at the door Rachel?"

"Well don't be rude honey, aren't you going to invite me in?" Her mom asks.

* * *

**A/N:  
I am so sorry this took so long to upload. I just had a lot going on and not enough time to write. Hope you all like the chapter and don't forget to review. As you can see, Shelby was the surprise guest. So where you guys shocked? Lol the drama between mother and daughter is just starting to unfold, so stay tuned! Before I go, I wanted to say that you should all read SamcheisOTP's : It's a Carousel. It a great Evanberry fic that I'm sure you will all enjoy. And please check out Again and Dancing Across Time from my good friends Missberryfan and Cerberus Angel respectively. They are both the best authors on here and I love their stories. I hope to one day be as good as them. :)**

**Until next time,**

**The Wonderful Mistique**


	17. Like Mother like Daughter

_**Chapter 17: Like Mother like Daughter**_

_Previously on The Curious Case of Rachel Berry:_

_Once she opens the door, her immature side is ready to come out and slam the door in the person's face. Rachel manages to control her anger and carefully asks "What are you doing here?"_

_"What happened to calling me mom?" Shelby Corcoran said and smiled at her eldest daughter._

_Before Rachel could say anything else her parents yell "Who's at the door Rachel?"_

_"Well don't be rude honey, aren't you going to invite me in?" Her mom asks._

* * *

"Sorry we're kind of in the middle of a family dinner. You understand don't you Mrs. Corcoran?" Rachel said rather coldly, still not letting her mom inside. The two women stared each other down and it wasn't until a giggle changed the atmosphere. It was then that Rachel noticed the little blonde girl hiding behind Shelby, with only her head sticking out for adoption last year.

"Aren't you a cutie, I'm Rachel Berry! What's your name?" Rachel _kneeled_ down, so she could be at eye level with the toddler.

"Beth Corcoran. Are you the same Rachel that my momma says is my sister? " The little girls asks cutely. As she examined her closer, at two years old Beth was the exact copy of Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman. She had Quinn's skin complexion and her blonde locks but instead of green eyes, hers were the same shade of brown as Noah's.

"No wonder you picked her over me, she is so cute." Rachel told Shelby before standing up and allowing the elder woman to walk into her house.

* * *

As soon as Shelby's presence was known, the dinner table soon went from loud chatter to complete and utter silence.

"This is a _family _dinner Shelby, what are you doing here uninvited?" Leroy asked rather angry.

Without answering, Shelby proceeded to sit down on the family table, sitting in the only vacant chair, which happened to be next to Rachel. The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

" Rachel is after all my daughter boys, as you may recall I have some unfinished business. " The older brunette mentioned while starting to eat the plate that had been set up.

"And if you remember correctly Shelby, you happened to signed off your rights as a mother." Hiram answered passively.

Meanwhile. Sam could visibly see how just the presence of her absentee mom was affecting Rachel. His girlfriend's knuckles were turning white due to how tight she gripping the table. Knowing his little diva, she was on the verge of blowing up.

"Oh, now you want to be my mother. Excuse me if I'm wrong but didn't you try this last year?" Rachel finally asked. Immediately Sam took a hold of one of his hands and she held on tightly.

" Due to my past actions, it may be hard to believe but I love you Rachel. I realize now that the way in which I handled the situation was wrong." Shelby admitted.

"Oh please, cut the crap Shelby Corcoran! Do you have any idea how pathetic I felt last year?" Rachel bangs her fists on the table, in the process knocking off her glass of water.

"Rachel I-" Shelby begins to say but is cut off by her daughter.

"No! You shut up and listen to what I have to say _**mother.**_ I wanted you to love me so much, I tried my hardest to be what you wanted me to be. But then out of the blue you not only take off without so much as a goodbye but you adopt Quinn's baby. Quinn! The same girl who you knew from our talks has made my life a living hell! I wasn't good enough for Finn and I guess I wasn't good enough for you either!"

Rachel yells, at this point not caring that their guests have witnessed this diva fit. Without another word, she walks away, leaving behind a stunned Shelby.

"Well Hiram, it seems like you still know how to cook an excellent meal. I guess I'll be going now, I know when I'm not welcomed." Shelby complimented after she finishing the last bits of her mash potatoes with grilled chicken.

"Yeah, I think that's best Shelby." Leroy finally said amongst the still tense atmosphere.

"Mrs. Corcoran wait. May I speak with you in private before you go?" Sam stood up asked.

Still shocked, all Shelby could do was simply nod as Sam walked her and Beth out of the Berry household.

"Shit just hit the fan." was all Puck said and soon afterward was punched rather hard by his mom.

"Ow! Whatcha do that for?" He asked, massaging the place where he'd been hit seconds ago.

"Because you daughter could have heard you!" Mrs. Puckerman replied

* * *

"Okay so first off, please don't get mad at Rachel. She was just really hurt that you left her and throwing a diva fit is the only way she knows how to deal with it." Sam said, looking at his girlfriend's mom straight in the eyes.

"You must be Rachel's boyfriend. Sam right?" She said and a smiled graced her face for a short time before it disappeared.

"Yeah, I am, pleasure to meet you mam. I'm sorry we couldn't meet under different circumstances."

_Rachel certainly has a great eye for good looking guys. Nevertheless, by what this boy is doing right now, it shows me just how much in love he's with my daughter. I can see it in his eyes, the twinkle appeared as soon as he mentioned her name. Boy's got it bad for my baby girl!_

" You can say that again, I should have thought things through. Now I see this wasn't the best of ideas."

"Like mother like daughter. That's one thing I know Rach got from you mam and honestly, she's probably just giving you a hard time cause she doesn't want to get hurt by you again. But if your serious about sticking around Mrs. Corcoran, you need to prove it to Rachel."

_He's right. I was so cruel to her last year, so I need to start from zero again and make amends. It's better late then never right?_

"Thanks Sam. I may not know you that well, but I'll take all that you had to say to heart." Shelby said and waved to her daughter's boyfriend as she began to walked to her car with Beth in tow.

"Take care mam."

"Sam?"

"Yes Mrs. C?"

"Call me Shelby, the others just make me sound too old."

"Goodbye Shelby." He muttered as she drove off.

* * *

When her car was out of sight, he quietly walked back into the house. The table had been cleaned and now everyone, with the exception of Rachel were now in the living room watching Avatar on the Berry's new plasma TV. As much as he wanted to stay and watch the greatest movie of all time, Sam walked upstairs. Leading to Rachel's room, which he knew for a fact was where she had gone to earlier. He tried to be as quiet as possible when he came in but the squeak of the door gave him away.

"I saw you talking to her." Rachel stated, void of any emotion as she layed on her bed.

"Yeah, about that. I just didn't want your mom to leave with a bad impression of you. So I set the record straight."

" Only you Sam Evans would care so much about what goes on between Shelby and I." the brunette stood up and walked to the chair in which her boyfriend was sitting. She sat on his lap and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

" I want you to be happy and you can't be happy if you have this grudge against your mother." He whispered while putting a strand of Rachel's hair back in place.

" She deserves it after leaving out in the cold last year."

" Rach, she's only human. Shelby is allowed to make mistakes too. Will you please try to fix this issue you have with her?"

"I don't know Sammy..."

"Not even for me?" Sam questioned, giving her the puppy dog eyes he knew for a fact she could not resist.

"Alright, alright. I'll give it another shot. But for the record, you Samuel Evans are a cheater." She stated, poking his chest to emphasize it.

" Rachel Barbra Berry how dare you!" Sam said, pretending to be offended.

Taken Rachel by surprise, he stood up, picked her up bridal style and carried her all the way to the bed.

In a matter of seconds, Sam had her pinned down, trapped in a tickle war he was to proud to admit that he was winning.

"S-s-s-t-o-p it Saaam!" She managed in between her continuous laughing.

"Not until you say the magic words Rach." He stopped for a moment, giving her time to breath properly.

"Never!" The brunette whispered, her breath on his cheek, which automatically made Sam's mind go haywire.

"Say it or face the consequences babe." for better effect he raised both of his hands, ready to start tickling her.

"Okay, okay! Sam is an animal in bed! There, you happy?" She finally said.

"What's this we hear about Sam being animal in bed?" Hiram asked, eyebrow raised and an amused smile on his face.

" I knew you two we're getting it on!" Puck exclaimed and the lovebirds noticed the rest of the family gathered in the hallway.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I'm back bitches!**

**Lol, it feels good to no longer have writer's block.**

**I hope you all like this chapter but I apologize if it sucks in advance.**

**As you can see there was no Finn or Quinn in this chapter.**

**So please review?**

**I'm curious to see what you all have to say about it. **

**I'm sorry for the long wait.**

**By the way, did guys hear?**

**Looks like Trouty Mouth won't be gone from Mckinley for long!**

**I read on the internet that Chord was in the final stages of negotiating his comeback to New Directions!**

**I'll tell you something, it just wasn't the same without Sam Evans.**

**EvanBerry still has a chance!**

**Haha, anyways I hope he does come back since I haven't watched the new season.**

**If he come's back I'll go back to watching it!**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique.**

P.S.: If you haven't already check out my other Evanberry story titled Welcome 2 Elite Way High School. It is AU, mystery, drama and romance. Please give it a shot! I am already working on the third chapter to it! :)


	18. Revelation

**Chapter 18: Revelation**

* * *

Her alarm clock said 7:45, and she assumed it was A.M. Out the window, she saw the sun shining brightly, and she could smell fresh bagels and scrambled eggs wafting from the street.

"_Probably Mrs. Avila cooking breakfast for her kids._" Rachel looked next to her, and it all made sense. Sam slept on his back, one arm lazily grabbing her, his chest bare. Like any typical girl, she can't help but stared at his washboard abs. She kept looking at him, his chest rising and falling while his dyed blonde hair is sticking out in places but he he smells so good. A mix of the Adidas deodorant he buys at the mall mixed with his own natural smell and the Tide his mom must put on his clothes.

"Like what you see babe?" His voice shakes off the trance she was in and when Rachel looks up, a pair of gorgeous blue eyes are staring right at her. For about five seconds, a pink blush adorns her cheeks.

"Definitely, and good morning to you too sleepyhead." Rachel whispers in his ears, not missing the groan that escapes his mouth.

Sam holds on to her tighter, eliminating what little there was left of distance. His nose is right at her neck, so when he breaths, she can't help it that she's ticklish there. A few giggles escape her lips.

"Think I just found another tickle spot." Sam whispers as he starts a series of kisses that lead up her neck and right to the lips he can't get enough of.

Sam frowned, "Rach, you okay?".

"Of course, still half asleep is all." She tries to dismiss it but Sam knows better. For such a great actress, he can read her like an open book.

"Your kiss, it was different. Something is bothering you Rae and I want to know what it is." By this time, they are both no longer laying down.

"So you got all that from a kiss?" She asks, evading the question but feeling much better.

"Yup, cause you know, you boyfriend is the awosomest guy around. No biggie." He says nonchalantly and a smirk, which makes her laugh and give him a hug.

"I still can't get my head wrapped around the fact the Shelby, my so called mother is back," Rachel answers quietly while Sam is rubbing her back in soothing circles. " I was such a wreck after she left and I found out from Noah that she had adopted Beth." She finally confessed and tears stream down her face.

Automatically feeling his back getting wet, Sam pulled her off him and look her straight in the eyes. Blue orbs meeting with chocolate brown ones.

"Regardless of whether or not Shelby sticks around, just remember Rach that I'll always be here for you no matter what." He can see a smile starting to form, exactly what he wanted to see. He meticulously wipes off all her tears, and then leans in for quick peck on the lips but it soon becomes much more then that.

" You want to talk more about it?" He asks after they separate. For a moment, Rachel hesitates bu then she just shakes her head.

"No thank you but maybe some other time." She tells him and for right now he decides to drop it.

"Well then, C 'mere."

They spent a few more minutes kissing and Rachel got a relieved, grateful rush out of it. But at this point it's not enough anymore. Maybe her hunk of a boyfriend is right, with him here, it's as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She can't help but hope that maybe things will definitely be all right. As soon as things get more heated, she can't help but feel thankful and glad that her dads had to go to yet another business meeting outside of Lima. Not wanting to leave her completely alone, they decided to allow Sam to spend the night. Which surprised everyone since her dads were now aware that she and Sam were a sexually active couple. While the kiss continues, Rachel smiles, unable to hide the fact that she is immensely happy to have the perfect boyfriend. Not only is he such a good person, he also has the looks and despite the dyslexia that plagues him daily, he is very smart.

_I guess fourth time was the charm for me._

Her bed squeaks at the pressure both teens must be putting in and that's when she flips them over. Completely taking Sam by surprise at having Rachel on top and straddling him.

" Since my dads are gone, we could... you know..._ **do stuff .**_" She oh so tactfully states, making sure to move a bit, knowing full well that certain body parts will be awaken.

"No funny business remember? If they find out, there's no doubt in mind that they'll castrate me." a dramatic Sam says.

_My dramatic side has certainly rub off on him._

"It'll be our little secret Sammy, I promise. After all, can you blame a girl for wanting you so badly?" Right after she utters those words, she is being pinned i to the bed. Sam is happily helping her slide out of his oversize Mckinley T-shirt that she's been using as a night gown for a while.

Sam traced her naked collarbone, then pushed himself up onto his hands and knees.

" Do you want to...?" He asked.

"Of course," Rachel whispered.

"Are you _**sure**_?" Still unsure of whether or not they should continue.

"Uh-huh." She wriggled out of her underwear, leaving her completely naked. With a lustful look, Sam pulled off his pants that he had been wearing from last night's family dinner. Which just left him in only his Avatar boxers. Right now Rachel found his geeky side extremely cute and such a turn on. Needless to say, she felt like a virgin all over again once he was inside her once again.

* * *

"Yo Puck, any idea where Trouty Mouth and Berry could be at?" Santana asked as soon as she sat down in the seat next to Puck's.

"Yeah, she's never late, Rach is always one of the first. So what gives?" Mike questioned too.

In a matter of minutes, the rest of New Directions piled in and were bombarding him with questions.

_Should I tell them or wait till Sam or Rachel decided to say it?_

"Come on Puck, you clearly know something and you're not telling us, so spill." A curious Mercedes asked and few chairs ahead Quinn and Finn listening closely to the conversation.

"My best guess is that he's still at her house getting laid." Puck finally answered and gave in.

The room became eerily quiet, the revelation had clearly taken them all by surprise.

" You're full of it! Nice try Puck." Artie spoke while readjusting his glasses.

"Now why would I gain from lying. It's true y'all. Sam popped Rachel's cherry when they got back together after Q's party and they've been fucking ever since."

"Who knew that it be Sam to make Rach loose her V-card with." Tina muttered pensively.

"And here I thought that our Diva would be begging to get back together with Frankenteen after the Xmas fiasco." Lauren chirped, obviously happy that things had taken a different turn.

"You all talked like Sam and Treasure Trail are the embodiment of a power couple!" Quinn finally said, a sneer on her lips.

"Their soul-mates Quinn and nothing that you or Finn do will ever change that." Brittany added and after that the rest of class went by fast. The rest of New Directions still wondering why Sam and Rachel had not shown up.

" _We'll see about that, I'm going to embarrass that troll in such a way, she'll wish that she was never born. Then Sam will finally see the error of his ways and come crawling back to me, so I'll ditch Finn and I'll live my happily ever after with my prince charming."_ Quinn thought, unable to forget all those times that Sam made her feel like such a princess.

* * *

Two hours and thirty three minutes later, Rachel rolled onto her back, staring blissfully at the ceiling. So much for starting slow. This had by far been ten time better the her first time with Sam. They had both been inexperienced back then but now he truly did know how to satisfy her wants and needs in the bedroom. Then she propped herself up on her elbows and look at the pink alarm clock on her nightstand.

"Shit!" She whispered. It was already 9:50A.M. School had been in session for a while now and by the looks of it they had miss 1st period and most of 2nd . Which was not good at all since first period was the only class besides Glee that she shared with all of the members of New Directions. She knew them like the back of her hand and when they noticed that both Sam and her were MIA, it wouldn't take to long before they connected the dots.

_Unless Noah has already told them then it's of no use worrying about it._

Rachel leaped out of bed and immediately went to her closet. In a matter of seconds she had settled on her plaid skirt, black blazer and a white camisole that was paired up with her black ugg boots. By the time she was almost dressed Rachel took one swift glance at the bed and noticed Sam watching her with a small smile. He was obviously amused at her flustered behavior.

"What are you laughing at?"

" Nothing, Can't I just look at my beautiful girlfriend without being reprimanded for it?"

"Oh shut up you, if you're trying to go for another round Sammy, I'm going to have to turn you down."

"What? Why?" Sam asked with a full on pout.

"Because we've already miss 1st period and I don't want to miss any more school." She retorts, throwing him an extra pair of clothes directly at his face.

"Come back to bed with me and forget about school for the day." Sam pleads while putting his clothes back on.

"You look so much better without any clothes on." She blurts out and he tilts his head in bewilderment.

"Wow, so all this time I thought you loved me for me but you only care about my body. I'm truly hurt Rach." He says all dramatic and tries to point at his heart but gets it wrong.

"Seriously, I think Noah's right. We spend way too much time together. You're acting just like me!"

"What does he know? From what I heard, he ain't getting any."

" You should practice your anatomy Sammy." She states once their downstairs and each have grabbed a quick snack to eat on the way to school.

"Why do you say that?" He's genuinely confused as he stares intently at her.

"Cause babe, your hearts on the other side." With a giggle, she locks her door and runs all the way to Sam's car.

* * *

David Karofsky was running down the hall, ignoring the annoyed remarks of other students as he bumped into some along the way. He was late and he prayed that Quinn wouldn't have his head for it; but his Calculus teacher needed to talk to him about his D in the class and how he needed to work harder on projects, and blah blah blah. This all _her_ fault, if he wasn't so stressed out about the fact that any given moment she could destroy him by telling everyone what he truly is, then we wouldn't have this problem.

" That bitch is driving me crazy!" came the voice of the angry jock as soon as he came into the empty classroom.

The creepy nerd look around the room and outside of it, making sure the Ice Queen was not anywhere near here. She was suppose to meet them half an hour ago but in a way, he was glad she wasn't here yet. Cause boy did he needed to vent!

"Tell me about it! Who does she think she is treating us like dirt." Jacob Ben Israel voiced out once he knew they were the only ones present.

"As much as I hate those Gleeks, we can't let her go on like this." the fat jock said.

" But she has us blackmailed, if she finds out we've spilled all her dirty little secrets, she'll come after us!" A petrified Jacob stated.

" Who said anything about telling anybody?" David questioned with a sinister smirk on his lips.

"You did, a few seconds ago. Are you going crazy David?" a clueless Jacob asked.

"You fucking idiot. We're not telling anyone, we'll simply let Evans know what this blonde bimbo is up to."

"Oh! That's easy, leave that to me!" The nerd exclaimed as he got his iphone out of his bag and proceeded to type out a message from a blocked number and sent it to Sam.

3...

2...

1...

…S_**ent**_

* * *

When they finally get to William McKinley, the end of period bell rings. Signaling the end of second period, Sam giving her a goodbye kiss before they parted to their different classes. They remain kissing until the duo started to hear a series of catcalls and whistling. They break off, only to see all their friends staring at them, smirks and knowing looks on each of their faces.

"I'm guessing Noah here snitched to all of you what he heard yesterday?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry my Hot Jewish American Princess, they pestered me about it and plus you didn't help the situation by not showing up to class with your boy toy here." the former bad boy told his friend.

"You were all bound to find out anyway, so now that you know, can we all just move on and focus on something more important... like Regionals?" She asked, eying each one of her friends. They all nodded in confirmation and smiled with Glee.

"So Froggy Lips, is our dear Rach a moaner? And how big you packin'?" The Latina girl asked crudely.

Both Sam and Rachel blushed so hard, their eyes even turn red.

"San, let them be, their clearly embarrassed." Brittany said, reprimanding the Latin beauty for her actions. Soon, the rest of New Direction followed suit.

"You walking me to class today or not?" The brunette asked and right before he was going to answer his cell phone beeped.

_**BLOCKED ID:**_

_**If you want to save your girlfriend from being utterly humiliated by someone you know, we suggest coming to the empty art room on the second floor. Don't make a sound, just listen and you will find out how evil the person that is behind all of Rachel's troubles really is!**_

"I gotta go do something real fast babe, why don't you go on ahead and I'll see you later?" He told her and ran the opposite direction of everyone else.

* * *

"I assume you all know what you're hear for?" came the distant voice of Quinn Fabray.

"_Is Quinn really such a bad person that she could go this low to hurt **my** Rachel?" _Thought Sam as he eavesdropped on the conversation and recorded everything she said.

" I still can't believe that Sam and that... _thing_ are still together. I've tried so hard to separate them, even went as far as getting her drugged to make it look like she slept with Finn but nothing works! What am I doing wrong?" The blonde girl let out and yelled in frustration.

"Shouldn't you give up, nothing you've done so far at this point has worked my queen." Jacob's annoying voice was heard.

"Well then I guess its time to ruin her once and for all. This final act will have her so humiliated that she'll never bother me again!"

"Well when are you gonna do it?" Kurofsky asked, louder then necessary,

"Tomorrow during her performance at New Direction's Regionals competition!"

_I gotta stop this! Quinn is batshit crazy and I can't allow Rachel getting hurt by her ever again._

_To be continued..._

* * *

**So there you have it folks! Another Update for this story has finally come. No Shelby or Beth in this one, but be patient. Believe me when I say that it's coming! So next up is Regionals. I honestly have not idea how long this story will be but I do have an endgame in mind. Lol and it involves a sequel to this story set in New York (Where else?) So I gotta thanks Missberryfan and Cerberus Angel, two of my closest friends on this site for all their help. Don't forget to check their stories out. Their really good and I have learn so much from them. I wouldn't be the writer I am today without all their continuous advice. Also, for those that are reading my AU Glee fic, Welcome 2 Elite Way High School, chapter 3 is 90% done. Just giving it some finishing touches! Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave behind a review!**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique :D**


	19. Here We Go Again pt 1

**Chapter 19: Here We Go Again pt. 1**

* * *

"Good Luck tomorrow at Regionals! May the best show choir win. I heard from Cedes that Mr. Shue is switching things up a bit." Kurt said as he was putting on his night cream.

Finn scoffed a little. He was in no mood to talk about anything with his step-brother. Earlier in the week Mr. Shue had decided that Tina and Rachel would get solos and that Sam would be the male lead in the group number, pushing him to the side. Almost like he was of no use now. Ever since that Bieber wannabee got to McKinley, all he's done is go after what was _**his.**_ First he goes after Quinn and temporarily becomes the new Quarterback. Then he gets to sing a duet at Sectionals and within a short amount of time, _**FabrEvans**_ becomes a power couple. Of course he did manage to eventually get both of those things back. But what he didn't expect was for Sam to go for his sloppy seconds, but this with Rachel _freaking _Berry. So he didn't know which bothered him more actually, seeing Rachel so happy that Trouty Mouth got the lead and being the happiest he has ever seen her, or knowing that she seemed to be faring better since _**he**_ broke up with _**her**_. His blood boils at the mere sight of the two showing PDA. Not to long ago, he had been in Sam's place but took her and everything they had for granted. He saw Kurt's knowing expression and recognized it as one of displeasure at his reaction, but he honestly couldn't control his resentment...or his jealousy.

"You know, it might be in your best interest to just let their relationship be, without these juvenile displays of aggression every time it's mentioned."

There was only a silent eye roll from Finn as he poured another glass of orange juice, an attempt to demonstrate how he didn't find that suggestion even worthy of a response.

But Kurt continued. "She told me everything you know. How you insulted her when you thought she was with Puck. The constant stalking and telling her she doesn't belong with Sam. While you may have been the one to break things off after sectionals, I think it's now apparent that you did not foresee Rachel getting tired of your shit and moving on permanently."

Finn took a break from drinking his juice to offer a, "Get to the point Kurt."

"Things have changed, a lot, since you broke up with her. Rachel used to think, and sadly it was rather true, that you were all she really had, even in Glee. That's why she oh so desperately cling to you and you milked it for all it was worth. There was often so much resentment and baggage between her and all the rest of us. Even when things were calm and relatively easy, there was still distance." Kurt states, giving the ginormous teen a glare.

"So?"

"But that's just not the case anymore Finn, she's made friends and she's learned how to be happy all on her own. And these are good things. While much of this is due to an admirable amount of effort on her part, it's also clear that her bond with Sam was the easiest to forge. Face it, she doesn't need you anymore when she has other people to count on."

"You don't get it bro! We were suppose to end up together, no matter what. Rachel was going to get out of Lima and I was going to follow her all the way to New York! But now, I'm stuck in this cow town and its all her fucking fault!" Finn yelled, noticeably getting angry.

"No, it wasn't Rachel's fault, it never was. This could have all been avoided if you had just been honest with her from the get-go. As much I care about you Finn, it would have been easier to just tell the truth. She was devastated and Rachel has never made the smartest of choices. When you left her, she went out and filled her life with other people. You cannot blame her for that, and you can't expect her to abandon them just because you want her back. Rachel Berry, who is my dear friend happens to be head over heels in love with a boy named Sam Evans. They will move to the Big Apple where she will become a Broadway star and live happily ever after. Face it Finn, you messed up big time and therefore are no longer part of her future." The conversation ends with Kurt slamming the door to the bathroom, leaving Finn to ponder his thoughts.

"_It can't be... can it?"_

* * *

_**R ur dads home tonight?-San**_

_**No...- *Rach**_

_**We're coming over in half an hours then. Time for some girl time before the competition 2morrow! :) -San**_

_**Fine...-*Rach**_

This was just like Santana. The Latina didn't even ask for permission, she just straight up told her she would be hosting a party tonight. Which makes her silently laugh since a year ago, Santana would rather be caught dead then hang out with Rachel. Times have certainly changed! The only one who has yet to come around is Quinn, who every time she looks at her had this knowing look in her eyes. To say she was nervous was an understatement; last time she had that look the blonde barbie had kissed her boyfriend right in front of her!

" I should probably go and put some popcorn before the girls get here." She said to herself, trying to desperately stop thinking of what Quinn might have up her sleeve. During times like these, she was glad she could emerge in the kitchen. Sure enough, by the time she heard the doorbell ring, she had not only popcorn prepared, but also a dozen cupcakes and some guacamole dip with chips.

"Finally, I was freezing my ass off!" Santana exclaimed before she walked into the Berry Household.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get the hell in Satan before I changed my mind and leave you out in the cold." Rachel ushered them in and all the girls, including Santana laughed.

"So what's on the agenda for the night my fellow Diva?" Mercedes asked as soon as all the girls were seated in Rachel's living room.

" I've never actually had friends to invite to a sleepover before. But I have watched enough movies to get ideas. Like we could first start with painting each other nails and braiding our hair, then we could watch a movie. Not to mention goss-" Rachel rambled until Brittany literally grab her lips and shut them tight. Preventing the brunette from rambling any more.

"Now, now, no more sulking or thinking about the past. This night is suppose to be a fun one Rachie. You do have friends, not to mention an amazing hunk of a boyfriend that treats you like your the best thing in the world." Brittany declares and smiles at the short brunette.

"Wow! Your too kind Brit!" is all Rachel is able to say, still a bit stunned that Brittany, out of all people said that. Just as they have stopped judging her, she realizes that she needs to do the same. Brittany is smart, in her own way. People are just to quick to judge and as a result label her as stupid, but what she just said a few seconds ago, she clearly isn't.

"Okay then! So what movie should we watch first? a romantic comedy like _The Proposal _or season 1 of_ Pretty Little Liars_?" Tina asks while putting both DVDs in the air.

" _P.L.L._!" All but Rachel screamed out since she really hates watching shows that are full of suspense and mystery. It's nerve wrecking! She has never actually watched the show, although she has heard of it since practically every girl watches it. But frankly, she's scared but there's no way in hell she would tell any of the girls. Which makes it that much harder to not wish Sam was here to hold her in his strong and muscular arms.

She has to admit though, it is a good show, she just doesn't do well with not knowing what happens next. Just as their getting to the season finale episode, right when Spencer what's her face is being chased by Ian what's his name to the top of the church, Rachel notices a couple of shadows out in her yard. She blinks a few times, hoping its a figment of her imagination. However, she still sees them, and all the other girls but Rachel are so enthralled(Mercedes and Lauren sharing the big bowl of popcorn between the two of them) in the movie that they don't notice anything.

"Girls?"

"Shut up Rachel!"

"Yeah, me and Brits are waiting for the moment when 'A' pops up!"

"But there's som-" She is unable to finish her sentence because that's when they all hear the footsteps coming from the kitchen.

Not knowing what else to do, they all huddle closer with Rachel holding a steel bat that her dads keep downstairs in case of an emergency in one hand and on the other a can of pepper spray.

"We know you're out there, so show yourselves before I go all Lima Heights on you asses!" Santana screams, but all they hear are snickers.

"You better listen to my friend because I happen to have a bat and I'm not afraid to use it!" Rachel yells, acting more brave then she actually feels.

" I don't think you were suppose to tell them what kind of weapon you had." Tina whispers but Rachel ends up separating herself from the group when she hears the footsteps resume.

She is ready to swing the bat when she hears the still yet to be identified group of intruders getting even closer to the living room. Then they are all bit thrown off when all the lights are turned back on.

"Told you so Trouty! I knew Berry would be the one holding a bat! It fits her personality to the T." Puck says and laughs when he notices all the girls are glaring at him and the rest of the guys.

" I am ashamed at the behavior that all of you have shown tonight! But especially _**you**_ Samuel Evans." Rachel says and grabs her boyfriend by the ear with Lauren and Tina copying the brunette's actions and doing the same to their respective boyfriends. Or in Lauren's case _boy-toy._

"I'm sorry babe. Ow! We just wanted to ah, crash the sleepover and join in on the fun." Sam answers as he's being dragged to the couch. His right ear red and hurting from all the pulling.

"Didn't it occur to you to knock on the front door like a normal human being?" She asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that baby?" The blonde jock answers and smiles sheepishly.

"Hope it was worth it then_** honey, **_because you are not getting any tonight." She whispers and afterward nibbles on his earlobe.

"But- But Rach!" Sam whines at what his ears are hearing.

"Sucks to be you Sammy Boy!" Mike says as he and Puck can't stop laughing.

"Why are you two laughing? It means no sex for you as well." Tina states, with Lauren also nodding.

" Fuck you Puckerman, now because of you we'll have blue balls for a month!" Mike Chang says and hits his friend on the back of his head.

"You should be good to me Samuel, after all I did say no sex for _**tonight**_." Rachel whispers and pecks him on the lips before going back to the rest of the girls.

* * *

It didn't take that long for things to go back to normal and soon enough all the teens were in the living room. They were doing things like eating in the guys' cases or trying to finish their Pretty Little Liars season 1 marathon in the case of the girls. Once the finale ended and the DVD was put back in its case, Santana Lopez spoke up.

"So Froggy Lips, how is Rachel Berry under the sheets? We are all dying to know."

"Santana!" Rachel shrieks, her cheeks flushing red from embarrassment.

" I don't think that's any of your business Satan." Sam answers coolly, as he embraces Rachel tighter.

"Oh please! We're all friends here Rach, I mean, I share everything me and Brits do. So why can't you do the same?"

"Seriously San? Not everyone is as open to talk about the things they do behind closed doors as you seem to be." Rachel says, resting her head on the crook of Sam's neck.

"All I'm saying is that you definitely look like the type to be a freak in the bed Berry!" Santana smirks and immediately laughs when both Sam and Rachel glared in her direction.

"Lay off will ya?" Sam asks, but it clearly sounds more like a demand then a plea.

"Fine, don't have to be so sensitive Biebs." Is all the Latina says before she moves onto pestering Mike and Tina.

* * *

" I think we should all go to sleep now seen as though its past midnight and we have Regionals to attend tomorrow." Rachel says after taking a look at the clock. Up until this point, she had been so comfortable just being in Sam's arms.

" Wait up Diva, we'll help you out!" Mercedes says already getting up, and motioning for the other girls to do so as well.

"Okay, so I'm going to need all of you guys' help if I am going to take down Quinn Fabray." As soon as the girls were out of the living room, Sam proceeded to explain to all of them what the blonde cheerleader wanted to do tomorrow.

" Why is that girl so fucking evil yo!" Artie said, looking a bit angry.

" So you think its possible that she was behind the video at the assembly and that she purposely set Rachel up when we went to her birthday party?" questioned Mike, seemingly trying to process everything and trying to connect all the bad things that had occurred to Rachel and Sam.

" We all care about Rachel man, but if you let me, before we do anything I might be able to shake some sense into her." Puck says and just as the girls come back, Sam nods in affirmation.

"_I hope it works."_ Is all Puck can think about before his mind is taken up by what the girls are all wearing.

"Consider this payback for scaring us boys." Rachel says in her short shorts and Sam's Avatar shirt, which now serves as her sleeping attire. She can't help but smirk when she hears Sam scanning her from head to toe and whispering "tease".

* * *

"Hey Quinny, what's crack-a-lacking?" Puck says and slides into the seat next to the blonde's the next day in the school bus.

"Go away Puck." The head-cheerleader says, not even looking up from her iPhone 4S.

"Not until you tell me why you keep trying to destroy Rachel, for no apparent reason." He states firmly, looking around to make sure they are still the only two on the bus.

"Cause I hate Treasure Trail with a passion. So much so, that I wish that Shelby had never given birth to that, _**that hideous thing**_!" She snaps and when Puck looks into her eyes, all he sees are cold and empty icy blue eyes.

"_No wonder they nicknamed her the Ice Queen"_

He rolled his eyes at her and told her what he was truly thinking.

"No,I think what you truly hate is that despite doing everything to keep her down, at the end of the day, she always picks herself up. Face it, aside from that Cheerio uniform, she's still gotten everything you've ever wanted and much more."

"Like you?" She volleyed back sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

His smirk was wry and unusually self-deprecating. "Like the respect and friendship from everyone in New Directions minus you."

She scoffed and shook her head, her mouth twisted in fury. He knew he was playing with fire by pushing onward, but now that they'd gotten on the topic, he'd been thinking for a long time that someone needed to check up on her. And he was really the only one who cared enough about her (and was more observant than Brit and San who were once her best friends) to be so honest. Many people feared Quinn Fabray, but few people truly liked her. Fewer still really knew her at all.

"You hate that people have started figuring out that she's not different because she's less than the rest of us, but because she's more. And you wish you knew how to get over it, but you don't."

"Fuck you."He smiled smugly at her default come back, and at the memory of how he used to respond. (Which was to comply).

"Q, you're a crazy sadistic bitch, and mean as hell, but you know that to this day you still hold a special place in my heart. Well, at least the old you still does. But lately, especially when it comes to her, you've been ten times worse. And I've got to tell you that I got Berry's back. Pretty much the rest of Glee does too." Puck carefully whispered, the last thing he wanted was for the bus driver to start eavesdropping on their private conversation. He knew that he had to hit a nerve to make Quinn realize that she had to stop with all this craziness.

"You know nothing Puck! I don't give a rat's ass about you. All you ever were to me was the father of my baby, nothing more, nothing less." The Ice Queen venomously spat, leaving Puck flabbergasted for a few seconds.

" Now that's a fucking lie Quinn, and you know it! We could have been something more but that thirst for popularity you seem to always have got in the way of a possible relationship between us. I'm so glad Beth isn't here to see the horrible person that gave birth to her. She looks a lot like you but hopefully she'll never want to have popularity above all else. You know, Sam is definitely onto you. So trust me when I say that kid's not going easy on ya. He'll do anything to protect his girl. Maybe I'm wrong as to what's causing your bitch-fest, but if so, I really don't care enough about the "why" to put together another guess. Whatever the reason, you need to just move the fuck on. You can't beat her. I won't let you, and she's not even interested in your game anyway." For the first time, Puck felt like Rachel, in the sense that he had obviously spoken more then he intended and inadvertently rambled.

She didn't respond and she wouldn't look at him, but he knew enough about the color of her eyes to recognize they'd darkened with her rage. Still, her brows pulled together in such a way that he knew she was seriously thinking, not just stewing.

" Beth is back in town? Why didn't you tell me!" She exclaimed, her eyes shining with tears not yet shed.

"Why would I? **YOU** stopped talking to **ME** and broke all contact. Besides your too much of a fucking nut job for me to allow you anywhere near **OUR** daughter. Besides what ever happened to the sweet Quinn who was friends with Kurt and Mercedes last year? The girl who was best friends with Santana and Brittany and treated all the members of New Directions, even Rachel with respect?" Puck asked, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of the old Quinn.

"I can't help it, its who I really am _**Noah.**_ So why run from it? Might as well embrace it don't you think? Besides, they all walked out on me, just when I needed them the most."Quinn said as she moved her head to look down. After a careful examination, he realized that she was crying.

He turned to face the front completely again, trying to pick up on the key parts of the lecture while still appearing uninterested. Twenty minutes on silence had passed before he heard Quinn's whisper again.

"She's gross though. Why would I associate with her?"

"She's fucking hot."

"_I'm_ hot."

"I know."Without looking, Puck could tell she smiled at compliment.

_Maybe, just maybe she won't go through with whatever she's planning to do to Rachel._

" I would advice you stay away from the slushie machines we're using as props though. Wouldn't want you getting dirty now would we?"

_Then again, can a zebra really change its stripes?_

* * *

"Kurt! Over here!" Rachel yells excitedly as soon as she pots her best friend amongst the Dalton Boys.

"Hey! It's so good to see you!" Kurt exclaims and hugs the shorter girl.

"Whatever happens after today, we'll congratulate whoever is crowned the winner." Rachel states as she sticks out her hand to shake on it.

"Deal! But say have you taken a look at this year's judges?" Kurt asks and when she says no, he drags her to the stairs that lead up to the judge's dressing rooms.

"Oh. My. God!" Is all she can say as she sees the names of JLo, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Paula Abdul on the doors.

"I couldn't believe it either Diva! Makes me wonder, they must have been really bored or had nothing better to do then judge a show choir competition here in Ohio." Kurt says and then the duo go back to their respective groups before they could get into any trouble.

"Break a leg Kurt" Rachel says as they part ways since The Warblers are the second to perform with their cover _** Raise Your Glass**_ by Pink.

_We definitely got lucky with our song choices this year then._

* * *

" That was an amazing cover of the song, although as a whole, you all seem a bit stiff."JLo states as soon as The Warblers finish their first number.

"Guys, I kind of have to agree with my fellow judge. Your vocals were perfect but there was barely any choreography."Adam Levine of Maroon 5 says to the group.

"It almost seem robotic, which is not a good thing in this case." is Paula says and shakes her head.

By the time they get to Christina, the Warblers(Kurt to be more specific) looks ready to cry. They are really letting them have it for practically having no choreography to what is suppose to be an upbeat song.

"You know what! I loved your performance, I thought that both of the leads did the song justice. You guys made it your own. So Congrats." Christina says and not too long after that the audience claps and the Warblers are dismissed.

As soon as Rachel sees Kurt, she immediately grabs his hand and pulls the flamboyant boy in fir a hug. She knows he's trying to keep his emotions in check but hearing that criticism must have bruised his ego.

" I freaking told them that something like this would happen if we didn't focus on the choreography. They didn't listen Diva! Now we might loose because of them not hearing what I had to say!" Kurt whispers before he pulls himself away from the brunette.

"Don't be yourself for it Kurt, it's their job to be critical of our performances. I'm sure you'll still give us a run for our money!" Rachel smiles, trying to cheer up her best friend.

"You're right, can't dwell on it too much since we have two more performances." Kurt seems to have composed himself now and after wishing New Directions good luck, he is out.

* * *

"Now give up for Lima Ohio's very own New Directions!" The announcer says and the whole gang gathers on stage. The lights are soon dimmed , leaving the whole stage in complete darkness as the music starts.

_Up above the surface I was,  
Just a perfect child.  
But underneath it all I was,  
Craving to be wild  
_

Rachel can't help but be a little nervous. They **NEED **to win this since last year they didn't even come close. As soon as the spotlight lands on her, she mentally shakes off all the negativity. She can't help but be happy that for some strange reason, Vocal Adrenaline is at a different Regionals competition and the only real threat are The Warblers since the judges didn't like Aural Intensity's cover of Carrie Underwood's_** Cowboy Casanova**_ at all.

_Don't you judge by the cover it's so,  
far from what you see  
I'm losing all my patience waiting,  
On ya to believe  
_

The lyrics ring so true to her and is glad Mr. Shue is allowing her to sing this song. Before the new year came, all of New Directions were quick to judge her. All they saw was just this know it all girl who though she was above everyone else. But now she can definitely see it in their eyes that things have changed for the best.

_I'm suffocating,  
I can't breathe..._

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see everyone not missing a beat and executing the choreography flawlessly. _  
_

_Let me out this cage,__  
__I'm not gonna hold back__  
__Gonna break these chains,__  
__I'm taking control now__  
__Gonna give you something to talk about__  
__It's another side of me,__  
__I'm acting out__  
_

After some begging on her part, the whole group chose Sam to be the one to play the part of the guy that's to set her free. While the rest of New Directions dance, the blonde boy finally opens up the cage from which she had been this whole time singing and sets her free.

_Set me free,  
I'm ready to show you  
This is what i need  
It's time to get dirty  
I'mma show you what i'm talking about  
It's another side of me  
I'm acting out...  
_

Without making it look slutty, she circles around him as she keeps on singing, both their eyes remain on each other. Then just as planned, Sam grabs her by the hips and brings her closer to him, to the point of being chest to chest. He twirls once and while she's still singing dips her in a tango-like manner. Just as sensually, she is brought back up and then separate. With their hands being the last to pull away.

_Welcome to a new beginning,  
It's time to start the show  
No I don't think it matters if it's,  
real or just a role.  
Once you get a taste of it you'll,  
Be begging me for more.  
I'll give you something to remember,  
once i hit the floor.  
I'm letting go,  
Of what you know...  
_

The audience along with the judges appear to be loving it, adding more fuel to the fire that's pushing them to their limits. Last year they were the underdogs that did not win but now they actually have a chance of winning and reaching Nationals!

_Let me out this cage,  
I'm not gonna hold back  
Gonna break these chains,  
I'm taking control now  
Gonna give you something to talk about  
It's another side of me,  
I'm acting out  
_

" Are you all seeing what I'm seeing or could I actually be high?" Paula Abdul asks, astonished at how good these kids are.

"No, I see it too Paula, they are talented, there's no doubt about that." is the next to agree, having a smile on her face.

" New Directions is definitely making it worth being in the middle of nowhere judging this competition." Adam Levine throwing in his two cents into the conversation.

Christina nods in agreement and says " I heard they lost last year but by the looks of it these kids are the group to beat!"

_Set me free,  
I'm ready to show you  
This is what I need  
It's time to get dirty  
I'mma show you what I'm talking about  
It's another side of me  
I'm acting out  
_

As Will Shuester watches from his seat in the audience, he feels so proud. Like a father being proud of what his children are accomplishing. They really have come a long way, where now almost all the members of New Directions have become friends.

_If only Finn and Quinn would come around and stop acting so immature, then maybe, just their Glee Club would be more peaceful._

_I've been waiting just to drive you crazy  
Now it's my time and yes it feels amazing.  
There's nothing left of what you've seen before.  
Life's too short just to do what you're told._

Honestly, he was worried about letting them do a number with so many implications of something more dirty. But in a way Santana was right: for people to enjoy a performance a balance between sexy, voice and dancing has to be reached. After much work and practicing every day until Regionals, all of New Directions have perfected their dancing. And as he sees the choreography executed without a hitch, well he can't help but smile at the fact that all their hard work is paying off.

_Just to do what you're told.  
Just to do what you're told.  
Do what you're told.  
Just to do what you're told.  
Do what, do what you're tolllld!  
_

Her and Sam are once again dancing together and she could not be any more happier then right now. Actually... winning Regionals would for sure trump it. As she keeps on singing, Rachel sneaks a peek at the judges, just to examine their reaction, and sees that every single one of them seems to be enjoying the performance. This just gives her more incentive to push herself even harder to finally win Regionals!

_Let me out this cage,_  
_I'm not gonna hold back_  
_Gonna break these chains,_  
_I'm taking control now_  
_Gonna give you something to talk about_  
_It's another side of me,_  
_I'm acting out_

It's a lot of pressure but she has faith in her talent and everyone else. To her shock there on the audience are Jesse St. James, her ex-boyfriend, Shelby Corcoran, her estranged mother and on her lap is one year old Beth. She almost gets distracted when she she sees her who she considers her little sister clapping along.

_Set me free,  
I'm ready to show you  
This is what i need  
It's time to get dirty  
Ima show you what I'm talking about  
It's another side of me  
I'm acting out  
_

Puck and Sam share a knowing look when the slushie machines are brought out. He looks at Rachel, who is still singing and is so immersed in the song, she probably hasn't noticed it but the rest of New Directions sure did. Tina, Mercedes and Santana (amongst others) have this confused looks on their faces. Even more so when the audience cheers, thinking this is part of the act.

Quinn smirks and when she twirls around Puck, who was chosen to be her partner whispers "get ready to see your little friend be humiliated to death". The people in charge of machine start filling up their cups and Sam feels like the song cannot end fast enough.

_Life's too short just to do what you're told  
I'm acting out  
Life's too short just to do what you're told  
I'm acting out  
Life's too short just to do what you're told  
I'm acting out  
Yeah, yeah  
I'm acting ouuut!_

Rachel finally notices the slushie machine but before she could react that cups filled to the brim with the slushie are thrown into the air. But before she can react all the guys circle around her and lift her up while she is still singing. Effectively sparing her from the slushie facial but in the process all of them, including Sam are hit instead. The unknowing crowd cheers and suddenly everyone, including the judges are giving them a standing ovation

"What the hell was that? Why didn't anyone tell me about the slushie machine being used as props." She yells in order to be heard amongst all the screaming once they put her down and they all take a bow.

"That's cause it wasn't planned, Quinn orchestrated this whole thing to humiliate you and in the process make us loose for choosing to be your friend." Mike answers with his hair all wet from the slushie.

* * *

**There you have it folks! My own version of Season 2's Regionals, hope you all like it. The songs performed by New Directions are: **_**Acting Out **_**by Ashley Tisdale **_(covered by Rachel) _and in the chapter,_**Moves Like Jagger**_ **by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera** _(covered as group number but the leads went to Sam and Rachel)_ **and lastly **_**Papi**_** by Jennifer Lopez**_(covered by Tina, with Santana singing the Spanish verse) _will be showcased**. Now some of you may see it unlikely that celebrities such as Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez and Paula Abdul would ever judge a show choir competition. All I got to say as a response is that you're probably right but then again its Glee... As we've all come to learn, pretty much anything can happen **_(like Chewbacca making an appearance for a Christmas special)_**. Consider this update as my New Year's gift to all of you! :) lol Happy 2012 people!**

*** Happy New Years everyone!**

**P.S.: Next up on the list is to update Welcome 2 Elite Way High School. I have an outline already done and I'm currently working on the rough draft for chapter 5. Here's a tiny spoiler, its titled **_** Know Your Frenemies**_, **and it is a continuation of chapter 4's Loose Cannon. My hope is to have it done by Sunday at the latest. Wish me luck!**

**Sincerely,**

**The Wonderful Mistique**


	20. IMPORTANT

Due to Cory Monteith passing away, I will be removing my glee stories and reworking them. Especially cause as much as I hated Finn, I loved Cory. So I won't portray him as a villain in my stories. This is out of respect for him and the fans. RIP Cory, you will be missed.

P.S.: Huge Spoiler alert for w2ewhs Finn was going to be The Diva. If you would like to know how. Message me privately.


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